FRANCES SEGELMAN ‘I WILL NEVER FORGET MEASURING HER FACE’
‘There was something between her and I that was so special to me’
Royal sculptor Frances Segelman describes sculpting the Queen as “the most amazing time of her life”. The 73-year-old tells us, “It was incredible to have the honour of being the Queen’s sculptor. It was such an amazing time in my life, to have the honour of going there and the build-up.”
Frances says of being with Her Majesty, “She lit up the room. Having to sculpt with callipers and measure her face, I will never forget the feeling. You can’t put it into words.”
But it wasn’t just the Queen who Frances worked with – she also sculpted the Duke of Edinburgh, who she admits was “very upset” on one of the days she worked with him. She says, “It was very hot. We were in this room and the windows were open. And he was getting very upset about the smell of the onions and sausages because they were doing burger stalls outside [Buckingham Palace]. And he said, ‘These damn people. We keep getting rid of them. And they keep coming back.’ The smoke was coming through the windows!”
Frances admits it took a while for her to feel comfortable with the Duke, saying, “At the first sitting, he was sharp. It was a bit scary for me. I said to him that I was going to put a slight smile on his face. He didn’t like that at all. He was very, very adamant. As time went on, I got to know him really
well, by the third, fourth time. I think he was one of my best pieces.”
But in terms of getting feedback from the Queen about the sculpture of her, it was a much more positive experience. “In the last sitting, I knew I had to find out what she thought,” says Frances. “So I said, ‘How do you feel about your hair?’ And she did say, ‘Well, maybe a little bit shorter.’ So I cut some of the clay off. And then I said to her, ‘Are you happy for this to go to my studio now?’ And she said, ‘Yes. And don’t fiddle with it.’” She adds, “I knew she liked it when she turned around at the unveiling to see the glitter and there was just something between her and I – that was so special to me.”