A century of royal portraits
Palace exhibition reveals unique personal images
ONE hundred years of royal portrait photography is being celebrated in a stunning Buckingham Palace exhibition.
Among the historic highlights is the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family plus a previously unpublished family photo marking the birth of four royal babies.
In this image, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent hold their newborns.
The babies are Prince Edward (the Duke of Edinburgh), Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones (Lady Sarah Chatto), James Ogilvy and Lady Helen Windsor (Lady Helen Taylor), who all turned 60 this year.
The picture was taken by Margaret’s photographer husband, the late Earl of Snowdon, as a personal token of thanks for Sir John Peel, the royal obstetrician who delivered all four tots within two months.
Displayed is a handwritten letter from Margaret to her sister the late Queen, asking her “Darling Lilibet” to sign the print “as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery” and also suggesting they take a trip to the theatre to see Noel Coward’s “witty” play Hay Fever.
She adds: “If you enjoyed Private Lives, this is just the ticket. Would [you] like to see it? It would be such fun to see if together.”
Images within Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography at The King’s Gallery, which opens today, include works by Dorothy Wilding, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, Andy War ho land Rank in.
Fashion photographer Paolo Roversi’s portrait of the Princess of Wales, to mark her 40th birthday, shows her in an off-the-shoulder dress holding a sideways pose. It is described by the Royal Collection Trust as bearing a “striking visual resemblance” to an 1864 painting of Alexandra, Princess of Wales – later Queen Alexandra –by Franz Xaver Winter halter.
Sparkle
Visitors will be able to compare the two images, with the Alexandra work hanging near the black and white image of Kate.
A keen photographer who sparked a furore with the editing of her Mother’s Day picture, Kate has stepped away from the public spotlight while she undergoes chemotherapy for cancer.
Warhol’s 1985 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle while Rankin’s 2001 photograph of the smiling Queen was superimposed against the Union flag. Polly Borland’s Golden Jubilee portrait of the Queen was set on a glittering backdrop.
They are the among the examples of experimentation and playfulness from the 1980s onwards. Included in the collection is Nadav Kander’s powerful close-up of the King, taken in 2013 when he was Prince of Wales, staring at the camera. Taken at Birkhall, his private residence in Scotland, the image measures 5ft by 4ft and the tight crop and dark background magnify Charles’ gaze.
The exhibition also sheds light on behind-the-scenes processes, from contact sheets and photographers’ handwritten annotations to correspondence with members of the royals and their staff.
The earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family produced shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – sister-in-law to King George VI – on her wedding day.
It was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography and champion of women photographers.
Alessandro Nasini, curator of the exhibition, said: “The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photos ever taken of the Royal Family.
“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.”
●●Visitor information and tickets for Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, at The King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace, from May 17 to October 6, can be found at rct.uk or 030 3123 7301.