The late Queen stood for countless official portraits throughout her life – and once managed to stun her close friend when she was finally allowed to pose how she wanted in picture

Throughout her life, the late Queen posed for countless official photographs, as well as hundreds of family pictures – making her perhaps one of the most photographed women in the world.

While she was usually required to pose in a formal way with dignitaries or visiting Heads of State, there was something that the monarch had always wanted to try but was never able to.

According to her close friend and dresser Angela Kelly, the late Queen had always dreamed of posing less formally – specifically, with her hands in her pockets. This idea was strongly refused by The Queen Mother and senior counsellors as it was deemed “unsuitable for the public eye.”

While this was the case, in her 2019 book: ‘The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe’, Ms Kelly revealed she had always known about the Queen’s “secret wish” and had thought of a clever way to help it come true.

The late Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly knew about the monarch’s secret wish and helped it come true

Angela Kelly was one of the monarch’s closest aides and was given express permission from the Queen to write her book. Speaking about one special moment, she said: “I wondered if I might have a wonderful opportunity to make the Queen’s wish come true.”

Kelly wrote that she nervously asked The Queen if she would “do her a favour” and pose with her hands in her pockets for an image in the book.

She said: “The Queen looked at me in amazement as I asked whether she knew the implications of the photographs. She didn’t take long to answer: yes, she would do it and, yes, she was sure.”

Kelly goes on to speak about how the Queen had her poses ready and told the photographer Barry Jeffery that she knew exactly what she was going to do when he outlined his plans for the shoot.

Kelly says: “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 onto her hips, mimicking the stances of a professional model.

“I stood by in disbelief – The Queen was a natural Barry and I felt we were experiencing something really special: a moment never to be repeated.”

The late Queen had several stipulations when asked to pose in a certain way (Image: 2022 Getty Images)
While this story is interesting enough, it seems the late Queen had another stipulation when a photographer requested she pose in a specific way.

Well-known photographer Rankin revealed his encounter with the late Queen during an appearance on the Tea with Twiggy podcast. He revealed: “Of course she came in and this wave of empowerment washes over you.

“I’ve never felt that aura and she was just so funny from the minute she walked in. I was like, ‘I really want to photograph you holding the sword,’ and she said, ‘I don’t like my hands.’

“[I thought] that’s the best ‘get out’ for holding the sword. I’m probably not supposed to say that, but what I loved about her is she’s so smart and everything in response that she was saying had this amazing twist to it. It was just really, really brilliant. I loved it.”