Her Majesty is Not Amused with Annie Leibovitz
There was a little stir when Annie Leibovitz unveiled her photographs of Queen Elizabeth at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. last spring. The portraits were made in honor of Her Royal Majesty's state visit to the U.S. Some critics were not impressed with the images, saying they were cliched if not outright boring. I thought they were just right. At any rate, this story from the London Daily Mail sheds new light on the photo session. The picture here comes from BBC documentary, and captures the exact moment when the Queen lost her regal cool. It happened when Leibovitz asked Liz to remove her crown. The Queen stormed out, with an attendant lifting the train of her dress. It's not always fun to be Annie. If you were the photographer, how would you have handled the situation?
—David Schonauer
Reverse the roles. Let's see how Annie likes to be handled during a photo op for a change. Bet it won't be as regal!
Posted by: Joe | July 11, 2007 at 05:36 PM
That could very well be. I'll bet a lot of portraitists don't like being photographed. It's always a struggle between the photographer and the sitter, and here are two people who are both used to getting their way!
Posted by: David Schonauer | July 11, 2007 at 05:39 PM
Somebody should have taken her camera away way back when she said give me color.
Posted by: Last Century | July 11, 2007 at 06:01 PM
What a pompous old biddy!
Posted by: Keith Nolan | July 12, 2007 at 01:29 AM
I cannot agree with Keith Nolan's comment, unless of course he was referring to Ms. Leibovitz.
Clearly a formal portrait session was what H.M. had commissioned. The picture intended to be one of The Queen, rather than Elizabeth.
When one troubles to review the archive of published photographs of the Royal Family there are countless examples of H.M. both sans crown, and also in informal poses.
Had Mr. Nolan commissioned a plumber to unblock his loo,(Am. Trans. John) and instead s/he insisted on attempting to put new taps(Am. Trans. Faucet) on the bath I doubt that his expression would look any less amused than that of the wonderful person he refers to as a pompous old biddy!
Stephen Bray
Posted by: Stephen Bray | July 12, 2007 at 05:50 AM
LONDON, England -- A British broadcaster has apologized to Queen Elizabeth for wrongly implying she stormed out of a sitting with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, saying a documentary clip had been edited incorrectly.
The BBC has said sorry to the queen after it said a documentary about her was edited incorrectly.
A trailer shown Wednesday for forthcoming British Broadcasting Corporation documentary series, "A Year With The Queen" gave the impression that the British monarch had abruptly halted the photo shoot when Leibovitz asked her to remove her crown.
Leibovitz was preparing to take an official portrait of the queen at Buckingham Palace in London. The photographer, known for making unusual requests, at one point asked the queen to remove her crown.
Scenes showed the queen giving the photographer an icy stare before storming off. An official followed close behind, lifting the large train of her blue velvet cape off the floor.
The queen was heard telling her lady-in-waiting: "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough dressing like this, thank you very much," Britain's Press Association reported.
But the footage was actually filmed as the Queen made her way to the sitting.
The BBC said: "In this trailer there is a sequence that implies that the Queen left a sitting prematurely. This was not the case and the actual sequence of events was misrepresented.
"The BBC would like to apologize to both the Queen and Annie Leibovitz for any upset this may have caused."
Four official portraits of the queen were eventually released by Leibovitz. E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by: CNN | July 12, 2007 at 08:07 AM
Thank God I live in a Republic..off with her head. (The Windsor one I mean!)
Posted by: Keith Nolan | July 12, 2007 at 09:17 AM
I may have to disagree with you on that. Annie always creates a lot of controversy, but at the end of the day her images always seem to get the job done. Why do so many people dislike her so?
Posted by: David Schonauer | July 12, 2007 at 09:44 AM
I hope every reads the comment from CNN, which carries an apology from the BBC for their editing of the documentary. It would seem that Queen Elizabeth was not as worried about her attire as it first appeared. Editing is important. Images can mislead.
Posted by: David Schonauer | July 12, 2007 at 10:02 AM
It's really very easy to take a poke at H.M., but protocol makes it very difficult for her to defend herself.
It is one thing to ask Kate Winslet be repeatedly dunked in a tank of water, or Clint Eastwood to be photographed after he had been tied up with ropes. It is quite another to ask a ruling monarch to remove their crown for a formal portrait.
Leibovitz has made images taken of the Queen sans crown and they did not meet with critical acclaim.
The Queen seems to have been digitally placed before Buckingham Palace Lake in one such image.
In an edition of American Photo published in September February 2005 Ms. Leibovitz is on record as saying:
“I use tools to do my job and digital is just another tool, although a fascinating one. People who don't get it just aren't smart enough. When something new comes along it is overused, abused and misused until you figure out how to use it. That’s what happened with digital and it doesn't interest me. Now, though, I shoot digitally for layout and it’s really valuable, but I think, at least I hope, that photography will always be chemical. Work that is manipulated looks a little boring to me and life is pretty strange anyway, don't you think?”
John Evans of the UK Web site Royal Anecdotes comments:
"Many elderly people claim they are no longer taken seriously, and get the impression they are being treated like children. When that person is the 81 year-old Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, it’s not so easy to patronise her."
I have to agree. I am also delighted that the BBC have issued an apology for editing their clip inappropriately.
Stephen
Posted by: Stephen Bray | July 12, 2007 at 02:28 PM
Her Majesty is The Queen and not just anybody. She "is" England and indeed "Great Britain"! When this celebrity photographer, or policity seeking hound, dared to ask the Queen to remove "Her Crown", which is NOT a crown at all, but a "tiara"!, she should have been booted out the door immediately! She was not granted permission to be in Her Majesty's Presence to cause such gross insult, but to simply take a photo! All England should be insulted since Her Majesty faithfully represents them all. This person was rude and should have been rehearsed how to act and told of what to say and of what not to say pertaining to such a meeting with a personage, such as the Queen. T'is true that such a comment may have cost one a head in the days of olde. I would have been the first to block the camera's view, even if it meant taking the film as well! (*Please, note! This event never took place, as you heard of it. It was editted to look as if the Queen stomped out angrily. This is not the case! After all the years being a gracious Queen and representing Her Subjects, do you think one comment would make Her Majesty stomp away?! No! She was in a hurry to arrive. They took that footage of her hurrying to arrive and made it look like she was leaving in a hurry instead! That is unfair and this is how media weaves their lies to a gullible public who would believe anything they spew! Don't believe them all the time. Especially when your own thoughts tell you somethings wrong with this picture! Don't be so dumb!)
Posted by: BaronessKvP | January 20, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Please, I ask you, stick up for your Queen. Defend Her Most Gracious Majesty. She took an oath to defend you! Show some respect and defend her then. That's not just a Crown she wore upon her Coronation. It was all of England she wore upon her head that day. She is part of you. Search yourself, in your heart and you shall feel it. Believe me, if someone was to harm the Queen, many of you would be the first to attack those who did the deed! God Save The Queen and Her Glorious Realm!
Posted by: BaronessKvP | January 20, 2008 at 08:16 PM