Talk about a modern monarch! Striking new portraits have been released of Queen Elizabeth, showing her from 4 different angles for a very 21st century look. The complex image was taken using mirrors, enabling photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas to capture the royal icon from the front, back and sides.
Prince William and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have also had their pictures taken the same way and all of the pics, snapped over the last few years, will be featured in a new exhibition, "The Queen's People" in London.
The 89-year-old Queen, who has been the subject of more than 100 official portraits, posed for the photo at Windsor Castle in 2013 to celebrate her sixth decade as Colonel of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, but the image was only officially unveiled this week.
The image of Prince William, meanwhile, had his photo taken in 2012 when he and his wife Kate Middleton, an amateur photographer who famously snapped son Prince George's first photos with Princess Charlotte, joined the Irish Guards to celebrate St Patrick's Day. "The Duchess was asking some incredibly detailed questions," Hugo said. "Now I realise why after her family photos were published – she's an incredibly accomplished photographer."
Photographer Hugo revealed a few secrets to the amazing photographs – for example, he captured the Queen's smileby asking how she would feel if her horse triumphed in the Epsom Derby, the only classic race which her beloved horses have never won.
He also admitted he had suffered some technical difficulties that helped demonstrate some of Queen Elizabeth's personality. "The camera had a digital seizure about 2/3 of the way into the shoot, but [the Queen] was very calm and cool and put me at my ease," he said. "My brain had just frozen but she started talking to me and I was able to fix the problem in 2 minutes. The roles were reversed – she was the one putting the photographer at ease."
"The Queen's People" exhibition will be held at Eleven Gallery in London from August 19 until September 19.