Artist says Queen’s loss feels ‘personal’
Royal Borough: Her Majesty ‘like a mother who has gone’
A Maidenhead artist who has painted Her Majesty and other senior members of the Royal Family says the Queen is ‘like a mother who has gone’ following her death earlier this month.
Terence Gilbert, 76, from Rushington Avenue, has painted the monarch on two occasions, one of which depicts the late head of state on horseback alongside former US president Ronald Reagan in Windsor.
This painting is now in Reagan’s public library and was admired by the late president himself during his lifetime.
Another piece sees Her Majesty admiring Galileo the horse at Coolmore Stud in Ireland alongside a group of people including her husband Prince Philip.
Terence is well-known for his equestrian-inspired paintings and he has also painted figures including sheikhs and celebrities such as David Beckham.
He said the Queen’s death on September 8 at the age of 96 brought back memories of his artwork of the monarch, as well as attending her coronation as a six-year old in February 1953.
“She just acknowledged me with a nod, I did not get the chance to talk to her,” Terence said of his visit to Coolmore Stud to take pictures of the Queen, which he later turned into paintings.
“It was quite a time to go there because it was absolutely pouring down and I had to do a lot of improvisation of the scene with Her Majesty.”
Terence is also well-known for his artwork on racing and sporting themes and was regularly at Royal Ascot to catch a glimpse of the Queen and the star-studded horses.
“It is a career that has gone in different directions but what holds it together is the equestrian side of things,” he said.
“I just wish the Queen would appear at Royal Ascot again; it just won’t be the same without her there. She was someone
who epitomised the racing.”
Terence recalled his time in London for the Queen’s coronation 70 years ago, at which he was sat just in front of a famous acting face from the day.
He said: “I sat in a great position in front of the Dorchester Hotel and I saw the coronation from that point – when I looked back, sitting right behind me was Alan Ladd [late American actor who starred in Shane and This Gun for Hire].
“It is a great memory and it is such a loss.
“The Queen has always been there and it feels personal – she is like a mother who has gone.”
For more information on Terence’s work, visit www. terencegilbert.com