Photo of The Queen in Salisbury from 1974 digitally restored

During Her Majesty's Maundy Thursday visit in April of 1974, a photographer in the crowd captured her smiling into his camera.

However, when the film was processed an "unfortunate discovery" was made; it hadn't moved on properly and a second image was taken over it, creating a double exposure.

The spoiled double-exposure photograph (Image: Unknown)

The second photograph, taken of the Duke of Edinburgh, overlayed the image of Queen Elizabeth II walking through the Old George Mall.

For a long time this spoiled image was "set aside and overlooked" until today, when the digitally restored photograph can be revealed.

Philip Stooke, a former Salisbury resident and Old Wordsworthian, was given the photograph by the original photographer in a bid to bring it to life.

Now living in Canada, Mr Stooke has successfully restored the photograph and has revealed it to The Journal.

He said: "A few years ago the photographer allowed me to scan the damaged print and try to restore it digitally, and the result is shown here with his permission."

The restored photo of Queen Elizabeth II and George Shingler (Image: Unknown)

An archive snippet from the Journal captured the moment the photographer took Queen Elizabeth II's picture during her walkabout with then-Mayor of Salisbury George Shingler.

Her Majesty was visiting the city for the Maundy Thursday service at Salisbury Cathedral.

A picture from the Salisbury Journal archive shows the photographer during the moment the photo was taken (Image: Newsquest)

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