Queen Elizabeth II, who would have turned 100 this week, remains celebrated for her poised reign and timeless style. In a surprising 2019 photograph, the monarch appeared relaxed and joyful, laughing with hands tucked into the pockets of her bouclé dress, exuding playful confidence.
The Informal Photo Shoot
This image accompanied the release of her dresser Angela Kelly’s book, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, which the Queen personally approved. Sources reveal the Queen expressed a secret wish for a more casual portrait, defying advice from the Queen Mother and palace staff.
Photographer Barry Jeffrey captured the session. When he suggested adjustments, the Queen firmly replied, “No, Barry, this is how we are going to do it. Just keep the camera rolling.”
Angela Kelly described the moment: “Her Majesty took her position in front of the lens and started striking a series of poses, slipping her hands in and out of her pockets and placing them on to her hips, mimicking the stance of a professional model. I stood in disbelief, the Queen was a natural.”
These candid shots did not appear in the book. The Royal Collection decided against inclusion, believing they could “bring the Monarchy down.” Kelly added, “Why they thought that, I have no idea.”
Signature Style: The Pocket Hierarchy
The Queen’s outfits featured carefully designed pockets, sized based on daily needs. Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust and curator of the Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style exhibition at Buckingham Palace, explains: “Pockets are finished in different ways, depending on what she put in them. The cotton-lined ones were more durable; the silk-lined ones might have been for riding gloves. There was a hierarchy of pockets.”
