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Royal Portraits: A Century Of Photography will run from February 28 until September 7 at The King’s Gallery in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, after previously being exhibited at Buckingham Palace.
It chronicles the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s until the coronation of the King in 2023, with more than 90 prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.
Many images are being shown in Scotland for the first time, and all the photographs are vintage prints – the originals – including from the golden age of the society photographer in the 1920s and 1930s.
The earliest surviving colour print of a member of the royal family was taken by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of the craft in 1935, showing Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – and sister-in-law to King George VI and Edward VIII – on her wedding day.
Photographs taken to mark milestone birthdays are among the standouts in the exhibition, including “coming of age” images of Princess Anne to mark her 21st birthday in 1971 which were taken by Norman Parkinson in the gardens of Frogmore House.
The exhibition will present some of Cecil Beaton’s most memorable photographs, taken over 60 years, including original coronation portraits of Queen Elizabeth II – arguably the most prestigious photography commission of the century.
The Queen Mother’s famed 1939 shoot in the Buckingham Palace gardens, dressed in gowns designed by Norman Hartnell, will also be on display.
Images of Princess Margaret, taken by her husband Lord Snowdon before and after their marriage in 1960, form another section of the exhibition.
A photograph taken in 1966 to mark the 18th birthday of Charles – then the Prince of Wales – shows him dressed in a kilt in Balmoral tartan in the library of Balmoral Castle, and was taken by Godfrey Argent.
Later 20th century photographs and more recent portraits, include Andy Warhol’s diamond dust-sprinkled screenprint of the late Queen, and well-known fashion photographs by David Bailey, Nick Knight and Annie Leibovitz, who have all shot extensively for Vogue magazine.
The exhibition concludes with the official coronation portraits taken by Hugo Burnand in May 2023.
Alessandro Nasini, curator of the exhibition, said: “The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the royal family, each one captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years – from Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson to Annie Leibovitz and Rankin.
“Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, many of which are being shown in Scotland for the first time, we are excited to share archival correspondence, photographers’ handwritten annotations, and unreleased proofs that lift the curtain on the process of commissioning, sitting for, and selecting royal portraits.
“We hope visitors will enjoy going behind the scenes to discover how these unforgettable royal images were made.”
