Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip 'reunited' sketch goes viral

The image has been shared thousands of times

A poignant sketch tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh has become an online hit, leaving its artist "shocked" by the reaction.

The artwork, which shows the royal couple reunited, was posted on social media by Kerri Cunningham before she put her children to bed.

By the time they were tucked in, the image had gone viral.

"I cant believe it has reached so many people," the artist, who lives in Much Hoole, near Preston, said.

On the day the Queen died, on 8 September aged 96, the artist recalled a previous cartoon of the monarch and her consort, "just sat on their little tartan picnic rug".

"I just thought when I heard the news of her death that it would be a nice tribute to put them back again," Ms Cunningham added.

Prince Philip died on 9 April last year, aged 99.

The cartoon with its simple message, "Hello again Lilibet", struck a chord, amassing hundreds of thousands of likes and shares on social media.

"It went quite crazy once I posted it. I went off to put the kids to bed [and] my big brother messaged me to say, 'Tyson Fury has shared your picture'," she said.

Kerri Cunningham says she cannot believe the reaction

"It was just a shock. I usually draw things about being a mum but this reaction is something I've never experienced before.

"I've seen people putting it with floral tributes in London.

"There was a drawing a little girl had done and she had copied it, and it just made me cry my eyes out."

She added: "I think the simplicity of the sketch has touched people - we can all relate that to an old couple we know - I've had a few people message me saying, 'this is a lovely image of the Queen but it also reminds me of my grandma'."

More than 1,000 prints of the image have been sold to raise money for the NSPCC.

Ms Cunningham hopes the Royal Family have seen the image, "even if it's only the little girl's version, it would be wonderful."

It took about an hour to create the sketch

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