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The Queen Is Confused by This Painting of Her and Her Father

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On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II appeared to be puzzled by an oil painting that German President Joachim Gauck presented to her at his official residence. It showed her as a young girl riding a blue horse as her father George VI led the way.

First, she reportedly remarked that blue was an unusual color choice for the horse. And video captured by Sky News and ITV News shows the Queen asking, “Is that supposed to be my father?” When her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, laughed and asked, “Don’t you recognize him?”, Her Majesty simply said, “No.”

LIFE With Elizabeth II: Rare and Classic Photos of the Queen

Princess Margaret (left), Princess Elizabeth (third from left) and the Queen (third from right) with the Grenadier guards on the occasion of Princess Elizabeth's birthday, 1942.
Princess Margaret (left), the future Queen Elizabeth II (third from left) and the Queen Mother (third from right) with the Grenadier guards on the occasion of Princess Elizabeth's birthday, 1942.David E. Scherman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II ("a little fagged after four days of royal touring," as LIFE put it in its Dec. 7, 1953, issue) prepares to speak at University of the West Indies, Jamaica, 1953.Cornell Capa—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II watches a University of Maryland vs. University of North Carolina football game at Maryland's Byrd Stadium during her 1957 official visit to the United States.
Queen Elizabeth II watches a University of Maryland vs. University of North Carolina football game at Maryland's Byrd Stadium during her 1957 official visit to the United States.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth with Prince Charles and Elizabeth II at Princess Margaret's wedding, 1960.
Queen Elizabeth with Prince Charles and Elizabeth II at Princess Margaret's wedding, 1960.Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II speaking at a State Dinner in Ghana, 1961.
Queen Elizabeth II speaking at a State Dinner in Ghana, 1961.Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with a well-wisher while standing next to the General and Governor of Bermuda, Sir Alexander Hood, 1961.
Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with a well-wisher while standing next to the General and Governor of Bermuda, Sir Alexander Hood, 1961.Lisa Larsen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival in India in 1961, the first British monarch to visit since George V in 1911.
Queen Elizabeth II upon her arrival in India in 1961, the first British monarch to visit since George V in 1911. Hank Walker—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Sudan, 1964.
Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Sudan, 1964.John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.
Queen Elizabeth II in Ethiopia, 1965.John Loengard—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II (right) and Prince Philip on a tour of Trinidad and Tobago, 1966.
Queen Elizabeth II (right) and Prince Philip on a tour of Trinidad and Tobago, 1966.Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II during her 1966 tour of the Caribbean.
Queen Elizabeth II during her 1966 tour of the Caribbean.Michael Rougier—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com