Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography

Over 150 iconic and unseen Royal Portraits from Cecil Beaton, Dorothy Wilding, Lord Snowdon and Annie Leibovitz are currently on display at ‘Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography’ in the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace until the 6th of October.

For centuries, portraiture has played a vital role in shaping the public’s perception of the Royal Family. This exhibition charts the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 150 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.

Discover works from the most celebrated royal photographers, from Cecil Beaton and Dorothy Wilding to Lord Snowdon and Annie Leibovitz. Explore some of the close relationships between royal sitters and photographers, seen most clearly through the lens of Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon), who married Princess Margaret in 1960.

The exhibition sheds light on behind-the-scenes processes, from photographers’ handwritten annotations to never-before-seen correspondence with members of the Royal Family and their staff, revealing the stories behind some of the most celebrated photographs ever taken of the Royal Family.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (wearing Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara)

© Dorothy Wilding 1937

Queen Elizabeth (wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara and Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara)

© Cecil Beaton 1939

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret

© Cecil Beaton 1943

Queen Elizabeth II (wearing her Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and George IV State Diadem)

© Dorothy Wilding 1952

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

© Cecil Beaton 1953

Prince Charles and Princess Anne

© Lord Snowdon 1956

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with Prince Charles and Princess Anne

© Lord Snowdon 1957

Queen Elizabeth II (wearing the George IV State Diadem) and Duke of Edinburgh

© Lord Snowdon 1958

Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Kent and Princess Alexandra with Prince Edward, Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones, Lady Helen Windsor and James Ogilvy

© Lord Snowdon 1964

Princess Margaret (in her Emerald Earrings)

© Lord Snowdon 1967

Queen Elizabeth II (wearing the Vladimir Tiara)

© Cecil Beaton 1968

Princess Alexandra of Kent (wearing the Ogilvy Tiara)

© Cecil Beaton 1969

Princess Michael of Kent (wearing the Kent City of London Fringe Tiara)

© Cecil Beaton 1979

Queen Elizabeth II (wearing the Vladimir Tiara)

© Andy Warhol 1985

Queen Elizabeth II (wearing her Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara)

© Annie Leibovitz 2007

The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

© Hugo Burnand 2011

Queen Elizabeth II with the Princess Royal, Zara Tindall and Mia Tindall

© Annie Leibovitz 2016

The Princess of Wales when Duchess of Cambridge

© Paolo Roversi 2021

Queen Camilla when Duchess of Cornwall (wearing Princess Marie Louise’s Diamond Sunburst Brooch)

© Jamie Hawkesworth 2022

Coronation Portrait of King Charles III 

© Hugo Burnand 2023

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography

Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

Vladimir Tiara

Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara

Belgian Sapphire Tiara

Burmese Ruby Tiara

Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara

Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara

Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara

Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara

Plunket Tiara

Five Aquamarine Tiara