Elton John's family photo hung in National Portrait Gallery

A photo portrait of Sir Elton John, David Furnish and their two teenage sons has been unveiled by the National Portrait Gallery.

US artist Catherine Opie took the photo of the singer, his husband and their sons Zachary, 15, and Elijah, 13 - along with their pet Labradors Joseph and Jacob - in the library of their home in Windsor.

It shows Sir Elton seated in a purple suit and pink tinted glasses, Furnish in a green suit, and their boys in black T-shirts, one perched on an arm of the sofa and the other on the floor holding a dog toy.

The London gallery said it would join its collection of "portraits of the people who have shaped the history and culture of the UK".

The image has been hung in a room with portraits of other celebrities including Sir David Beckham, Dame Judi Dench, Amy Winehouse and Letitia Wright.

Sir Elton and Furnish said in a statement: "To have our family photographed by Catherine Opie and on display at the National Portrait Gallery is a huge honour.

"We are huge admirers of her work and proud to have her beautiful and poignant images in our collection."

Opie's celebrated 30-year career will be the focus of a separate exhibition at the gallery from Friday.

Gandhi to Gary Barlow on bookshelves

Sir Elton and his family are pictured next to antiques and in front of shelves holding hundreds of books, mainly biographies, giving a glimpse into their interests.

They include books about cultural giants including Andy Warhol, Bruce Lee, Robert De Niro, David Hockney, Tina Turner, Michael Caine, Beethoven, Prince, the Beatles, Madonna, Oscar Wilde, Gary Barlow and Monty Don.

There are also works about LGBT history and tomes on political and historical figures like Winston Churchill, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela, Napoleon, Gandhi, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Stormy Daniels.

Their love of sport is reflected in biographies of various cricketers, cyclists and footballers, including Troy Deeney, a legend of Sir Elton's beloved Watford FC.

The gallery said: "The commissioning of this portrait marks a remarkable opportunity for the NPG to bring together an artist and sitters in celebration of LGBTQ+ representation, philanthropic work and highly regarded photographic art."