A century of intimate, iconic and previously unseen photographs of the Royal Family on display in Edinburgh

The Queen Mother’s personal portrait of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, at her coronation in 1953 will be among 150 prints, prints and documents from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives to be shown to the public in Scotland for the first time next year .

The collection is housed in the King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh and will move from its current location in the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London.

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography will document the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the coronation of King Charles in 2023.

It will contain the earliest surviving color portrait of a member of the royal family, taken in 1935 by pioneering medium Yevonde Middleton (no relation to Catherine, Princess of Wales). It depicts Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – and sister-in-law to King George VI. and Edward VIII – on their wedding day.

Photographers’ correspondence and handwritten notes are also on display, providing a fascinating insight into the commissioning and creative process of photographing the royal family.

Part of the exhibition includes photographs of Princess Margaret taken by her husband Lord Snowdon before and after their marriage in 1960. Later photographs by Andy Warhol, including a diamond-dusted screen print of the late Queen, as well as well-known fashion photographs by David Bailey, Nick Knight and Annie Leibovitz will also be on display.

“The Royal Collection contains some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, taken by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the last hundred years – from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey and Rankin,” said Alessandro Nasini , curator of the exhibition.

“In addition to these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be displayed permanently for conservation reasons, we are pleased to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs, giving visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating such unforgettable royal works. “Portraits.”