The extraordinary public and private life of the world’s most famous monarch
Born in 1926, married in 1947, crowned as Queen in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II has carried out her royal duty for more than six decades. This book tells her remarkable royal story through hundreds of stunning photographs, many published here for the first time.
Brimming with history, politics, glamour, culture, world travel, and such icons of their age as the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, and JFK, these photographs cover every aspect of the Queen’s reign. Sourced from archives around the world, including the Royal Collection itself, they cover Her Majesty’s early years, her coming of age during World War II, becoming a wife, Queen and mother, the international tours, the state functions, the palaces, the crowds, the weddings, the Royal Family, the Silver Jubilee in 1977, as well as more recent years of her steadfast reign.
Featured photographers include Cecil Beaton, Studio Lisa, Dorothy Wilding, Karsh, Lord Snowdon, Patrick Lichfield, Wolfgang Tillmans, Rankin, and Annie Leibovitz.
This limited Art Edition of Her Majesty, with cover by Vivienne Westwood, is a handcrafted couture collector’s item. Featuring a design referencing the Queen’s reign, Great Britain, and Vivienne’s own Gold Label collection, the cover is embellished with a drawing of the Star of the Noble Order of the Garter, hand-stitched with silver metallic thread. The book is also encased in an elegant mother of pearl clamshell box. The understated white of the box has been designed to contrast against the resolute color palette of the book inside.
The artist
British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood is singlehandedly responsible for bringing punk and new wave into the mainstream in the 1970s, and remains one of the most influential designers in the fashion world today. Her first foray into fashion was a collaboration with Sex Pistols manager Malcom McLaren for his London shop, opened in 1971, and a decade later she presented her first catwalk show, entitled "Pirates." Her new romantic style was a dominant force in 1980s fashion, and her designs have continued to have a strong impact on clothing design and style in the world today.
The photographer
Glasgow-born Harry Benson has photographed every US President since Eisenhower, the Civil Rights movement, and was next to Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated. As well as The Beatles, he has shot some of the biggest personalities of the last 50 years, including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Her Majesty The Queen. In 2009, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
Her Majesty. Vivienne Westwood Edition No. 501–1,000. Harry Benson ‘Royal Departure’
Edition of 500 Gelatin silver print, 40.5 x 28.9 cm (15.9 x 11.4 in.), hardcover volume in clamshell box, cover design by Vivienne Westwood, 29 x 39.5 cm (13 x 15.6 in.), 366 pages
