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Rare pictures of the Royal family have been posted on the internet after Buckingham Palace opened an account on photography website Flickr.

The images of recent royal events, archive pictures of the Queen, Prince of Wales and other members of the monarchy can be seen from Monday.

More than 600 photographs have been added to the British Monarchy's Photostream account.

The images will be updated as new engagements and events take place.

The development follows the launch of the updated royal website, British Monarchy Twitter account last year and the Royal Channel on YouTube in 2007.

The Flickr account is timed to coincide with the summer opening of Buckingham Palace, as it features photographs commissioned for the exhibition The Queen's Year, which opens next Tuesday at the London palace.

Highlights from the photo website include early pictures of Queen Victoria and other leading figures from the era, images of Queen Elizabeth II as a baby and pictures of the latest royal events.

The account has been divided into two categories - the first, Royal Collection, contains images commissioned for The Queen's Year exhibition and the Victorian pictures.

There are also behind-the-scenes shots showing the Royal household staff working at a state banquet.

And there are images by photographer Marcus Adams showing royal children, from the Queen as a baby to Prince Charles as a little boy.

The Royal Family section groups pictures of the monarchy by individuals. Prince Harry is shown as a newborn baby, in the arms of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, for example.

His older brother, Prince William, is pictured as a youngster with his parents and sibling, on exercise with Royal Navy in the Caribbean and meeting David Beckham in South Africa.