Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she walks past a bronze bust of herself during a visit to the Honourable Artillery Company June 1, 2016 in London, Britain. Reuters/Chris Jackson

Queen Elizabeth II has posed for a series of photographs that has been featured in Vanity Fair’s summer 2016 issue. The images showed the Queen with beloved family members, as well as her pets, and the idea behind these pictures was said to have come from the royal monarch herself.

The revelation came from Annie Leibovitz who handled Queen Elizabeth’s recent photoshoots to commemorate the royal queen’s 90th birthday. The famed photographer stated in an interview with Vanity Fair that the ideas behind the photo sessions all came from Queen Elizabeth. “She wanted to be photographed with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; her daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal; and her corgis,” Leibovitz revealed.

Some of the photos included in Vanity Fair’s summer 2016 issue that was photographed by Leibovitz showed a different look at Britain’s longest reigning monarch while at her home in Windsor Castle. The photo session’s location is said to have added a relaxed feel to the shoot. “I was told how relaxed she was at Windsor, and it was really true. You get the sense of how at peace she was with herself, and very much enthralled with her family,” Leibovitz stated.

A few of Leibovitz’s snaps of the Queen has already been released during the royal monarch’s birthday. Kensington Palace, through its Twitter account, has previously unveiled a photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great grandchildren and grandchildren on April 21. In the photo, the Queen posed with Princess Charlotte on her lap while Prince George stood beside her. Other members of the royal family’s youngest generation also surrounded Queen Elizabeth in the said photo such as Savannah and Isla Phillips, Lady Louise, James, Viscount Severn, as well as Mia Tindall.

Kensington Palace captioned the said photo, “The Queen surrounded by her two youngest grandchildren and her five great-grandchildren #Queenat90.”

Meanwhile, the Vanity Fair latest summer issue has been released on June 2 and includes several photos of the Queen taken by Leibovitz both in 2016 and 2007.

RELATED STORIES
Queen Elizabeth II