Queen ‘hated her hands and didn’t want them photographed’
Queen Elizabeth was insecure about her hands, according to a royal photographer.
Celebrity photographer Rankin has claimed the late monarch ‘hated’ her hands and ‘got out’ of holding swords for photographs.
Speaking on the Tea With Twiggy podcast, he said: ‘I was like, “I really want to photograph you holding the sword,” and she said, “I don’t like my hands”.
‘I thought, “that’s the best get out for holding the sword”.’ I’m probably not supposed to say she disliked her hands, but what I loved about her is she’s so smart and everything in response that she was saying had this amazing twist to it.’
The portrait he did take was a success, with the Queen’s staff telling him it was a favourite of theirs.
He said: ‘I got a really amazing note where the curator said my photograph of her is one of their favourites – which I think means the Palace’s favourite – because she’s really laughing in my picture.’
He explained he wanted to ensure the late monarch was smiling in the picture, as before the photoshoot he overheard her ‘cracking up’.
‘I was like “that’s what I want”. So that was in my head the whole time’, he said.
Rankin, whose real name is John Rankin Waddell, told supermodel Twiggy that working with the late monarch was ‘brilliant’ overall – despite only spending ‘five minutes with her’.
The Glasgow-born dad-of-one said he had never felt an aura like it and she was ‘just so funny from the minute she walked in’.
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