Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Annie Leibovitz opens up about 'feisty' Queen Elizabeth

annie2
Share this:

Famed photographer Annie Leibovitz has spoken out about her admiration for the Queen. The 66-year-old, who has just opened her new exhibit WOMEN: New Portraits at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station in London, spoke to CNN about the honour of photographing Her Majesty in 2007.Calling the monarch "feisty", the photographer also revealed how captivated she was by the 89-year-old. "She is a woman with a great sense of duty. I mean, it’s like photographing your great-aunt or something like that. It really is; you know, she has so much energy and drive. And she definitely has opinions," said the mother-of-three.

annie1 © Photo: Getty Images

Annie said the Queen is a 'woman with a great sense of duty'

"She said 'I don’t think I’m going to be wearing this cape thing.' I mean it was a 75-pound cape that she’s walking around in, very heavy with these ceremonial robes," she added.

Over her 63-year reign the Queen has posed for more than 130 portraits, but her photo shoot with Annie became famous for a witty comeback made by Her Majesty. When asked if she could remove her crown for a "less dressy" pose, the Queen quickly retorted "Less dressy? What do you think this is?" Remembering this moment, Annie giggled at the memory and said: "Oh my God, she’s feisty. She’s feisty."

annie2 © Photo: Getty Images

The famed photographer captured a portrait of the Queen in 2007

The most recent portrait of Prince Philip’s wife was taken by Mary McCartney to honour the milestone occasion, when the Queen became the longest-reigning British monarch, on September 9 2015. In the photo, the royal flashes her trademark smile as she goes about her daily business. Prince George’s great-grandmother wears a bright pink and white dress as she sits at her desk in her private audience room in Buckingham Palace.