Queen's portrait by David Bailey reissued for monarch's anniversary
2014 portrait of Elizabeth II reissued to commemorate 65th anniversary of monarch’s accession to the throne
Monday 6 February 2017
A David Bailey portrait of the Queen has been reissued to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the monarch’s accession to the throne.
The photograph shows the head of state wearing a suite of sapphire jewellery given to her by King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947.
Sapphire is the 65th anniversary gemstone and the King’s gift to his eldest daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, featured a glittering necklace, dating from 1850 and made of 16 large oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds, with a pair of matching sapphire and diamond drop earrings.
The Queen has added a sapphire and diamond tiara – made from a necklace that originally belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium – and a bracelet 1963 to the collection to complement the original pieces. She had the necklace shortened and the largest stone made into a pendant.
The photograph was taken and first issued in 2014 after being commissioned for the government’s “Great” campaign, which aims to promote the UK abroad.
Bailey took a number of portraits of the monarch, and when the Duke of Cambridge saw them during a visit to a “Great” event in Shanghai the following year, he said: “I love them”.
The photographer, whose famous sitters include the Kray twins, Diana, Princess of Wales and the Beatles, said at the time of the commission: “I’ve always been a huge fan of the Queen. She has very kind eyes with a mischievous glint. I’ve always liked strong women, and she is a very strong woman.”
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