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Remarkable unseen photos of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret as young mothers are being unveiled to the public for the very first time.
The Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography exhibition, which opens today at The King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace, showcases images including the late monarch, her sister, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent proudly displaying their newborn babies in a portrait taken by Lord Snowdon in 1964.
The charming picture will be displayed along with a handwritten letter from Princess Margaret to her sister, asking her ‘Darling Lilibet’ to sign a print ‘as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery’.
She also offers her ‘a hundred million thanks’ for having them all for the photo shoot.
Elsewhere in the exhibition, royal watchers will be able to see the Queen Mother’s personal copy of her daughter Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation portrait from 1953.
The new exhibition – the first to be held at the The King’s Gallery since it was renamed following the death of Queen Elizabeth – will also include The Queen Mother’s personal copy of her daughter’s Coronation portrait; and the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family.
It charts the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day through more than 150 items from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives.
The photographs presented in the exhibition are vintage prints – the original works produced by the photographer – most of which are on display for the first time.
Princess Elizabeth is shown in this 1942 wartime portrait taken by Cecil Beaton Young Princess Elizabeth was just 13 years old when war broke out on September 3, 1939. She had been living at Buckingham Palace for three years, and like many of London’s children she was evacuated to the countryside with her sister Princess Margaret, then just nine. She is pictured here, aged 16. On her 16th birthday, Princess Elizabeth carried out her first official duty, and inspected troops during a parade at Windsor Castle
Antony Armstrong-Jones’s portrait of then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne, taken in 1956 at Buckingham Palace. Charles is aged eight and Anne four. Antony Armstrong-Jones, the first Earl of Snowdon, was a keen photographer and often shared snaps of the royal family during his marriage to Princess Margaret
A previously unseen contact sheet by Norman Parkinson in 1980 showing the late Queen and Princess Margaret laughing and talking together during a sitting to mark their mother’s 80th birthday. The two were very close through their whole lives
A portrait by Cecil Beaton of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother taken in 1939 in the gardens of a royal palace. Cecil Beaton was a fashion photographer who took the official Coronation pictures. The Queen mother had insisted he was hired after first photographing her in 1939. It was the start of a long Royal association
A 1943 portrait taken by Cecil Beaton at Royal Lodge in Windsor shows King George VI and Queen Elizabeth gathered around the King’s desk with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, conveying a reassuring sense of domesticity and calm during the Second World War. As the war went on, Elizabeth stepped up and became a symbol of national hope. In 1943, she and Margaret were photographed tending to their allotments in the gardens of Windsor Castle as part of the government’s ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign
This photograph, taken by Lord Snowdon, shows Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret , Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent holding their newborn babies in 1964. Pictured: Left, the Queen’s first cousin, Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, the only daughter of George V and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, holding her son James Ogilvy. Second left, the Late queen Elizabeth holding her fourth child, Prince Edward – who is now the Duke of Edinburgh. Second right, the late Princess Margaret, holding her youngest child, who is now known as Lady Sarah Chatto. Right: Katharine, Duchess of Kent, the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent holding her second child, who now goes by Lady Helen Taylor
Paolo Roversi’s memorable 40th-birthday portrait of the present Princess of Wales in 2021 in an Alexander McQueen gown. The photos were taken in Kew Gardens are part of Kate’s birthday celebrations. A Palace told the mail at the time that, Kate, who studied art history at St Andrews University, was inspired by the work of Cecil Beaton, the revered photographer who captured historic images of the Queen and Princess Margaret
A portrait by Cecil Beaton of Princess Margaret taken in 1949. She wears a regal bridal-inspired dress with butterflies and a rainbow print. This served as an inspiration for the now Princess of Wales more than 70 years later
Kate’s dress and pose in the 2021 portrait bears a striking visual resemblance to an 1864 portrait of Alexandra, Princess of Wales by Franz Xaver Winterhalter from the Royal Collection
The earliest surviving photographic print of a member of the Royal Family produced in colour. It shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (sister-in-law to King George VI and Edward VIII). The photograph was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography
Alessandro Nasini, curator of Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, said: ‘The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years – from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, and Rankin.
‘Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, we are excited to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into the process of creating such unforgettable royal portraits.’
Visitors will see the earliest surviving photographic print of a member of the Royal Family produced in colour.
It shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (sister-in-law to King George VI and Edward VIII) on her wedding day.
The photograph was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography and champion of women photographers.
Unreleased wartime images by Cecil Beaton will also be on display for the first time, demonstrating how King George VI and Queen Elizabeth used photography to project a sense of stability and hope for the nation.
A photograph of the royal couple inspecting bomb damage at Buckingham Palace in 1940 shows them smiling comfortingly at each other amidst the debris, while a 1943 portrait taken at Royal Lodge in Windsor shows them gathered around the King’s desk with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, conveying a reassuring sense of domesticity and calm.
Beaton photographed the Royal Family over the course of six decades and was chosen as the official photographer for Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953.
Cecil Beaton’s proofs from sitting with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1939. Cecil Beaton photographed the British monarchy for more than 50 years. Between 1927 and 1979, barely a year went by in which one of its members was not the subject of his enchanting lens
A handwritten letter from Princess Margaret to her sister Queen Elizabeth II in 1965, asking her ‘Darling Lilibet’ to sign a print ‘as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery’
Polly Borland’s Golden Jubilee portrait of the late Queen set against a glittering gold backdrop in 2001. Her Majesty was photographed hundreds of times throughout her reign. For her Golden Jubilee in 2002, marking her 50 years as monarch celebrations were held all over the Commonwealth
Lord Snowdon’s portrait of his wife Princess Margaret, taken in 1967. The Queen’s younger sister was a muse for her artist husband and posed for him many times
Cecil Beaton’s charming 25th-birthday portrait of Princess Margaret in 1955, dressed in an evening gown with her dog Pippin in her lap
The Queen Mother’s personal copy of her daughter Elizabeth II’s Coronation portrait in 1953. The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years until his death in 2021
Dorothy Wilding’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which was taken in 1952, shortly after she ascended the throne aged 25
A handwritten letter from Princess Margaret to her sister Queen Elizabeth II in 1965, asking her ‘Darling Lilibet’ to sign a print ‘as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery’
A note from 1953 written Martin Charteris, the Queen’s Assistant Private Secretary, recommending to Prince Philip which images from the Coronation should be sent as personal mementos to the Royal Family and Maids of Honour
Andy Warhol’s legendary 1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light. The print is distinctively different from her other portraits
Rankin’s 2001 photograph of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, superimposed against the Union Flag. The cult photographer has snapped many famous faces, including David Bowie, Madonna and Kate Moss
Cecil Beaton’s proofs of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on Coronation Day in 1953. Beaton was by turns a witty illustrator, a prolific writer, an arbiter of style, an accomplished painter and an award-winning designer for stage and screen. Yet despite his many talents, he felt perpetually the outsider
Antony Armstrong-Jones’s proof of his brother and sister-in-law Queen Elizabeth and Princes Philip in 1958 with handwritten instructions
Visitors will see a contact sheet of proofs from the Coronation sitting, alongside a note from Martin Charteris, the Queen’s Assistant Private Secretary, recommending to Prince Philip which images should be sent as personal mementos to the Royal Family and Maids of Honour.
The photograph subsequently sent to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, signed by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Cecil Beaton, will also be on display.
But alongside portraits marking official occasions will be pictures capturing more intimate family moments, including photographs taken during sittings to mark royal birthdays through the decade.
These include Cecil Beaton’s charming 25th-birthday portrait of Princess Margaret, dressed in an evening gown with her dog Pippin in her lap, and a previously unseen contact sheet by Norman Parkinson showing the late Queen and Princess Margaret laughing and talking together during a sitting to mark their mother’s 80th birthday.
Visitors will also see Paolo Roversi’s memorable 40th-birthday portrait of the present Princess of Wales, in which Her Royal Highness’s dress and pose bear a striking visual resemblance to an 1864 portrait of Alexandra, Princess of Wales by Franz Xaver Winterhalter from the Royal Collection, which will hang nearby.
Some of the pictures capture a modern sense of fun, including Rankin’s 2001 photograph of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, superimposed against the Union Flag; Polly Borland’s Golden Jubilee portrait of the late Queen set against a glittering gold backdrop; and Andy Warhol’s legendary 1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light.
The exhibition’s free multimedia guide, narrated by Dame Joanna Lumley, features contributions from royal photographers Hugo Burnand, Rankin and John Swannell.
Visitors will hear Burnand’s behind-the-scenes account of taking the official Coronation portraits of Their Majesties The King and Queen on 6 May 2023 – from cycling to and from the Palace to avoid roadblocks and getting soaked in the rain in the process, to doing dress rehearsals right up until the moment the Gold State Coach arrived back at the Palace from Westminster Abbey.
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