Britain's Queen Elizabeth unveiled a new portrait of herself on Tuesday in London, painted by Irish artist Colin Davidson.

The painting was commissioned by Co-operation Ireland, a charity set up to promote relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, to mark the queen's 90th birthday, which she celebrated in April.

The British monarch, who was crowned in 1952, reacted to the new artwork with a beaming smile as she chatted with the artist.

Davidson has painted portraits of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Hollywood actors and Northern Ireland leaders.

He also was behind a series of paintings featuring individuals caught up in the three decades of fighting between Catholic nationalists seeking a united Ireland and Protestant unionists who wanted to keep Northern Ireland British, which ended in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.