Royal photos of the week

Among the hundreds of photos of royalty taken every day, some stand out as moments to remember. And every week brings its own share of special snaps. Here are the five from the week just gone that will linger in the memory and help write the royal story of 2015.

Here comes the groom

Everyone was looking at his bride to be for most of the day as Prince Carl Philip got to bring Sofia Hellqvist along to National Day celebrations for the first time. But an off guard moment for the prince during an official event produced a cracker of a photo. There's a great mix of formality - the prince was taking a salute hence the uniform, the line up of officials and the splendid setting - and relaxed about this snap. In a lull in proceedings, Carl Philip has spotted a photographer and found it rather funny. The photo was put on the Swedish Royal Household's Instagram page and is the perfect combination of public setting, private person. A reminder that royals are real people too.

The Countess of Calm

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Sophie Wessex has been just about everywhere this week and as the seven days came to an end she hosted a garden party for charities for blind and partially sighted people at Buckingham Palace. She was caught on camera striding out on that sunny afternoon. And while an image of a royal lady by herself in the middle of a massive palace could have made her look lonely, this photo is all about cool, calm confidence. The Countess of Wessex has carved a strong, valued place in the British Royal Family and the fact that she was asked to host this special garden party is another sign of the importance the Queen places on her and her contribution to the Monarchy. This picture shows a royal woman doing very well indeed, thank you, and walking on to even greater things.

Royals in the Oval Office

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Meetings between royalty and the US President are always exciting. Europe might boast big palaces and fabulous castles but there's something equally special about the Oval Office and an audience with POTUS. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima have already met Barack Obama several times so this wasn't a debut encounter but it was the first encounter on US soil between the three since Willem-Alexander became monarch in April 2013. It was subdued as the news had just come through that the Vice President, Joe Biden, had lost his son, Beau, to cancer. The three chatted comfortably and looked relaxed in the images. And while it might not have been the most high profile of their meetings, it still produced a photo for the history books.

A king in parliament

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  King Felipe of Spain stood up before the National Assembly of the Republic of France this week during his State Visit and gave an address, mostly in French, which was greeted with rapturous applause and which is one of the most successful of his soon to be year as a monarch. The king was on a three day trip with Queen Letizia, an event postponed from March when the planned visit had to be cancelled following the Germanwings crash. This new trip provided many photo opportunities, with the queen getting through seven outfits in just under thirty six hours, but the stand out moment was this new king addressing a very old political gathering and winning them over.

The Royal Women's Institute

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  It isn't just one of the photos of the week, it's one of the photos of the year. The image of the Queen with Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex cutting a cake with members of the Women's Institute is so joyfully happy and so perfectly set that you can look at it over and over again and find something new to enjoy in it every time. Elizabeth II had a great time tackling the cake but she wasn't fast enough for her daughter who dived in with the knife and gave the thing a proper thwack causing giggles and leading to this happy snap which is just overflowing with a relaxed charm that only comes round in one picture in a million. It really is the royal photo of the week.