It’s incredible to think that the late Queen Elizabeth II would have been 100 years old this week. The much-loved monarch, who passed away in 2022, is forever remembered and admired for her seamless time on the throne.
As a fashion editor who specialises in royal style, Elizabeth’s style is one that I have greatly admired for many years. Often deemed stoic in her approach to both fashion and posing, it came as quite a shock when, in 2019, she released a photograph of herself laughing joyfully with her hands in her pockets. She looked so relaxed, playful, and appeared delightfully confident in her bouclé dress.
The picture marked the release of her dresser and trusted confidante Angela Kelly’s book that year, entitled: The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, which the royal approved.
© Getty ImagesAccording to the book, Her Majesty confided to Angela that she had a “secret wish” to be photographed in a more informal way, despite the fact that the Queen Mother and palace aides advised against it.
The iconic photograph
Photographer Barry Jeffrey was given the task of taking this particular picture of the Queen, and offered advice during the shoot, but she rejected his thoughts, saying, “No, Barry, this is how we are going to do it. Just keep the camera rolling.”
© Getty ImagesReflecting on the moment, Angela penned in her book: “Her Majesty took her position in front of the lens and started striking a series of poses, slipping her hands in and out of her pockets and placing them on to her hips, mimicking the stance of a professional model. I stood in disbelief, the Queen was a natural.”
Candid pictures like this were not featured in Angela’s book, a decision made by The Royal Collection. “Their opinion was that these more candid photographs would bring the Monarchy down,” Angela noted. “Why they thought that, I have no idea,” she explained.
Fashion rule
Speaking of pockets, Elizabeth’s outfits were meticulously selected and designed, and one signature add-on that was always thought of was the humble pocket. The sizes were crafted according to what she would be carrying that day.
Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust, is the mastermind behind the Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style exhibition, which opened at Buckingham Palace last week. She exclusively told HELLO!: “Pockets are finished in different ways, depending on what she put in them. The cotton-lined ones were more durable; the silk-lined ones might have been for riding gloves. There was a hierarchy of pockets,” she mused.
