Celebrated royal photographer claims ‘Queen was not photogenic’ 

A society photographer who took portraits of the Queen struggled because he ‘didn’t consider her to be photogenic,’ his official biographer has revealed.

Cecil Beaton, who was commissioned by the Royal Family for four decades, found the secret was to ask her to tilt her head, as straight on she was a ‘little too full-faced’.

His candid views were revealed by journalist Hugo Vickers, who was given unprecedented access to volumes of Beaton’s unpublished diaries. 

Speaking at Chalke Valley History Festival, sponsored by the Daily Mail, Vickers also told how Beaton had been ‘quite frightened’ of the Queen Mother since she first sat for him in 1939.

The fashion photographer – who would sometimes take in the waistlines of his subjects – once had his photos of the Queen Mother sent back with a note reading: ‘Her Majesty feels she cannot have been entirely untouched by the passing of the years.’

Vickers added: ‘Cecil was knighted by the Queen Mother but was actually always quite frightened by her.’ Beaton also struggled at times with Elizabeth, who he first snapped as a 16-year-old and later during her coronation. 

Vickers said: ‘When taking photographs of the Queen he always thought it to be very difficult because he didn’t consider her to be photogenic.

The revelation was made at the Chalke Valley History Festival

‘But he found the secret was in tilting her head and then he got the picture that he wanted.

‘And, perhaps this is a little unfair, but he felt that straight-on was a little too full-faced of the Queen, and that a head tilt was much more flattering.’

Vickers was given access to volumes of unpublished material by Beaton who asked him to be his official biographer. 

Beaton died very soon after passing over the diaries. He was a celebrated fashion photographer with a stellar career at Vogue when he was first invited to Buckingham Palace in July 1939. 

He photographed the Royal Family until the year he died, aged 76, in 1980.