Photography Exhibition: The King's Gallery in London unveils new exhibition showcasing the stories behind 100 years of iconic royal photographs

The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London, recently renamed from its dedication to the late Queen Elizabeth II, has launched a new exhibition - "Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography" -   that traces the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day. 

Featuring over 150 items from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives, the exhibition showcases vintage prints—original works produced by photographers—most of which are being displayed for the first time.

This never-before-seen image shows four royal mothers – Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and The Duchess of Kent – holding their newborn babies.  It was taken by Princess Margaret’s photographer husband Lord Snowdon as a personal token of thanks for Sir John Peel, the royal obstetrician who delivered all four babies within two months in 1964. Shown with it at "Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography" is 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’.

Highlights of the exhibition,  include an unseen family photograph marking the birth of four royal babies as seen above, as well as the Queen Mother’s personal copy of her daughter’s Coronation portrait, and the earliest surviving color photographic print of a member of the Royal Family. 

Cecil Beaton’s charming 25th-birthday portrait of Princess Margaret,
dressed in an evening gown with her dog Pippin in her lap.

Andy Warhol's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Alessandro Nasini, curator of the exhibition, stated, "The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, captured by celebrated portrait photographers 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 provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of these unforgettable royal portraits."

Visitors can see in the Portraits Gallery Paolo Roversi’s memorable 40th-birthday portrait of The 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 is hung nearby.

Among the standout pieces is the earliest surviving color photographic print of a member of the Royal Family. It features Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, on her wedding day in 1935, captured by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of color photography and a champion of women photographers.

Unreleased wartime images by Cecil Beaton will 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. 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. 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.

Photographs taken during sittings to mark royal birthdays through the decades will be among the highlights of the exhibition. 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.

Innovations in colour and digital photography between the 1980s and 2020s revolutionised the medium, ushering in a new sense of experimentation and playfulness. Bold and colourful examples on show will include 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 1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light.

"Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography" runs until October 6 2024, at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace.  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.

All images courtesy of Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024.