ABSEILERS were hard at work yesterday securing a giant photo of the Queen and Prince Philip ahead of the Royal Jubilee celebrations next weekend.

The picture – the largest ever photograph of the Royal Family – is being displayed on a prominent building on the South Bank of the Thames in London and measures 100m by 70m, and weighs in at nearly two tonnes.

The image was erected by a team of eight people over 45 hours, and will remain in place until the end of June.

Next Sunday, up to 1000 vessels from around the world will assemble to accompany the Queen and her husband on the Royal Barge as they travel along the Thames, watched by a flag-waving, cheering crowd expected to number more than a million.

Picture: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters