Throughout her 70-year-reign, Queen Elizabeth II spent much of her time in front of a camera.
From her coronation to her funeral, there aren't many moments in the monarch's life that have escaped the eyes of the public.
However, as the world prepares to bid farewell to the Queen, many people have noticed that one particular part of her life was never caught on camera.
Despite giving birth to four children, Queen Elizabeth II was never publically photographed while she was pregnant, nor were any official portraits showing the late Queen pregnant ever released.
In recent years, people have become accustomed to seeing photos of Princess Diana, new Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle cradling their baby bumps.
So it's surprising to learn that not only did the Queen never show off her bump in public - but she also kept the news that she was having a baby tightly under wraps until after the birth.
Rather than announce she was expecting a baby, the palace would simply notify the public that the Queen was pausing her royal duties for a few months.
For example, in 1948, a notification was released reading: "Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth will undertake no public engagements after the end of June." The now-King Charles III was born five months later.
According to Harpers Bazaar, the reason behind this odd custom had a lot to do with past etiquette surrounding royal pregnancies. Instead of giving birth in a hospital and then presenting her children to the waiting media outside, the Queen welcomed all four of her children at Buckingham Palace, where they were shielded from the press for the first few months of their lives.
Only one picture exists of the Queen with a baby bump - a candid snap of her walking through Liverpool Street Station one month before the birth of Prince Andrew. However, this photo is not a formal portrait and does not clearly show the Queen's baby bump.
Considering how closely documented royal pregnancies are today, people were surprised to realize that they used to be kept under wraps.
"The Queen has 4 children yet, I've never seen any pictures of her visibly pregnant! I did some reading and at the time it was 'improper' to show her bump," one shocked person tweeted.
"Apparently it was taboo to be pregnant so she would go into hiding," another wrote.
