Is this the most astonishing photoshoot of the Queen ever? Yes, it really IS Her Majesty as Queen of Scots amid the heather (moments before a midge invasion)

By Chris Hastings

PUBLISHED: 16:21 EST, 25 May 2013 | UPDATED: 02:34 EST, 26 May 2013


It is perhaps the most striking and romantic photograph of the Queen ever taken.

The Monarch, dressed in the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle – the Scottish equivalent of England’s Order of the Garter – stares directly into the camera from an idyllic spot on her beloved Balmoral estate.

Now the photographer who took the stunning photograph has revealed how it was inspired by a series of portraits by renowned Scottish artist Sir Henry Raeburn – and how concerns about bad weather and a midge attack nearly led to the photoshoot being abandoned.

Queen

Romantic: Her Majesty the Queen looks intently at the camera as she is photographed as the Queen of Scots to the backdrop of her Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire

Julian Calder said: ‘We wanted to photograph the Queen as the Queen of Scots and I wanted to do it as a Raeburn painting.

‘He did paintings of Scottish clan chiefs and I thought they were very romantic. In the picture the Queen is obviously looking at us but we wanted to have her looking at the massed clans on the distant hills.’

The photograph also shows the Queen wearing the Collar of the Order, made from gold thistles and rue sprigs, and a tiny St Andrew and his saltire cross.

 

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It was taken three years ago but has been kept under wraps until yesterday, when it was published in Weekend magazine. It is one of 100 portraits in a new book called Keepers, published to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.

She agreed to be photographed after a private approach to her office by the book’s author Alastair Bruce, a Royal commentator and a direct descendant of Robert the Bruce.

She approved the idea partly because the late Queen Mother had enjoyed the previous two editions and had herself been photographed as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Queen

Pensive: In one of the shots the Queen, who is wearing the Collar of the Order which is made from gold thistles and rue sprigs, looks on to the distant hills

The team spent several weeks preparing for the shoot, which took place in August 2010.

Mr Calder and Mr Bruce spent the day beforehand scouting for locations and, after a four-hour hunt, opted for a remote stream called Gelder Burn, which runs into the River Dee and is close to a cottage built by Queen Victoria.

Mr Calder said: ‘We spent the day before the shoot looking at locations on the Balmoral estate which weren’t too far from the Castle.

‘We looked at three locations and decided this was the best one. It’s remote, you can seen the heather was out and everything was right about it. Creatively, the curve of the stream could mirror the curve of the cape. The dark green of the trees and the heather all worked as a composition. It had all the ingredients.’ Although the pair had initially hoped that the Queen would wear Scotland’s Crown Jewels, known as the Honours Three, tradition dictates that they can only be removed from Edinburgh by the Duke of Hamilton, who was unavailable.

Queen

Smile: Julian Calder and Alastair Bruce - who both spent the day beforehand scouting for locations - chat to the Queen as a photographer's assistant looks on

Instead, the Queen opted to wear the emerald-covered Vladimir Tiara. It was once owned by the Grand Duchess Vladimir, aunt of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, and was smuggled out of Russia during the Revolution.

The unpredictable Scottish weather – which included a downpour in the morning – also threatened to disrupt the carefully laid plans.

Fortunately, the Queen returned from lunch just in time for a brief, sunny spell.

Her Majesty, her dresser Angela Kelly, her chauffeur, and another member of the staff undertook the 25-minute drive to the location, where the photography team were putting the finishing touches to their preparations.

Mr Bruce, who is the historical adviser on the hit ITV drama Downton Abbey, said: ‘The Queen was concerned – as we all were – that because the wind had dropped and it had been raining that the midges would come out. We had seen her on the day of the shoot and she said, “As long as it’s not raining we will do it”.

‘There was anxiety about midges. There are two stages of a midge attack – in the first you think you are going to die, and in the second you are worried you might not.

Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) a Scottish portrait painter. Born in Edinburgh
BAL1553 The MacNab (oil on canvas) by Raeburn, Sir Henry (1756-1823); United Distillers and Vintners; Scottish, out of copyright

Food for thought: (Left) Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), the Scottish painter who created masterpieces such as The MacNab (right), which was one of a series of portraits of Scottish clan leaders that inspired Julian Calder's picture of the Queen

‘Of course, when the Queen left the midges came out and we nearly died putting the kit away.’ Mr Calder also recalled his own nerves at the beginning of the shoot, which took 30 minutes to complete.

He said: ‘Her Majesty isn’t going to hang around for too long. You have to be organised and we were organised.

‘I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew exactly where she was going to stand and exactly how it was going to look.

‘When you have something in your mind’s eye, the thrill of seeing that picture in the view finder is incredibly exciting.’ Mr Calder revealed that he was delighted with the reaction to the picture so far.

‘The book has taken a long time to compile and the pictures have been around for a long time,’ he added.

‘I have had to live with it for a long time but keep it a very closely guarded secret.’

  • Keepers by Alastair Bruce, Julian Calder and Mark Cator, is published by Julian Calder Publishing on Thursday, priced at £45.
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i woud havegoe with a lower angle and a bit softer. but it is a delightful picture.

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Gosh, I love you Brits, but despite the groveling of our President, I could not bring myself to bow down to anyone. Royalty seems to me to be an example of people having to little to do and too much time to do it in.- garbageman , utica-----> Garbageman, we stand up when our president comes into the room. How weird is that? - buttercookies, Boston" ----------------- It's a dying practice called "SHOWING RESPECT." Maybe if more people were mature enough to show some respect, and be respectful...We would see less of the nasty comments that are so common on this site. RE: THE PHOTO SHOOT - The photo is lovely, especially the scenery, which is absolutely breathtaking. Her Majesty looks a tad out of place, though. She would have looked great posed in front of (or inside of) a structure with architecture to accent or match the Regal look of her attire. Please don't take that in a bad way, okay? The image as is, is still beautiful.

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It is a shame that the English are so ignorant about our beautiful country and it's people that all they can do is knock us. For your information we don't cost you lot money and we are proud of our heritage and the Queen, who after all is half Scots. Why can you not try to understand why there is anti English feeling in Scotland. Perhaps if you read your history books you might. We are not against all English but are just proud to be Scots, and what is wrong with that. A bit of national pride is something we could all do with, Scots, English, Welsh and Northern Irish.

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What has she got on her head?

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ayrshireman, Some poets! Robbie Burns never could spell potato or turnip and as for the word, never, he didn't even attempt it.

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There are lots of anti English and anti Royal Family comments here, mostly from Scots. I say let them have their independence and good riddance they cost England a fortune in free prescriptions, free nursing home fees and free university education, they will soon come back cap in hand when their money runs out.

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Oh, if I were a Queen, I would wear that every single day! The one looking at the camera is my absolute favorite of your wonderful Queen. Truly beautiful scenery and woman.

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Lovely photo!

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Ironic that the last queen Elizabeth put the queen of scots' head on a block after illegally keeping her captive....This seems a little offensive to scottish people. It looks like she's saying.... Yeah we kicked your a$$, Scotland. We lost America, India, France, Canada, and part of Ireland but We still got you, which we primarily use for Our shooting weekends.

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Stunning! Ma'am you do look superbly regal! - Life is a pie chart, UK, United Kingdom, 25/5/2013 22:57..........................the landscape is too much of a distraction from the Queen in her robes. It would have been a good idea to crop this picture to give it more balance.

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