‘Camilla is nicer than Diana’

Diana may have been the people’s princess, but royal photographer Arthur Edwards says the people have got it all wrong. In celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, Edwards shares his favourite snaps and stories from a half-century with her majesty.

To mark the platinum jubilee, royal photographer Arthur Edwards shares with Stellar some of his favourite snaps and stories from a half-century with her majesty.

There’s a very good reason Queen Elizabeth loves dogs and horses so much, says acclaimed royal photographer Arthur Edwards.

“They don’t know she’s the Queen, so they don’t really treat her any differently,” he tells Stellar. “Her horses probably weren’t afraid to chuck her off when she was younger.”

Although the role was thrust upon her when she was very young, the Queen has unwaveringly devoted herself to her life of duty for 70 years; always putting on a brave face and rarely putting a sensibly heeled foot wrong.

And through five of those decades, Edwards has been there to photograph her greeting crowds, meeting with dignitaries and attending the funerals, baptisms and weddings of loved ones.

“She’s unbelievable. She was only 25 [at her coronation] and she’s carried out duty after duty. And some of the things she has to do year in year out would bore most people to death,” Edwards admits.

The 81-year-old photographer – who in 2003 was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to UK newspapers – says this anecdote best illustrates what the Queen is like without all the pomp and pageantry:

“The Queen and her policeman were walking [out near] Balmoral, and they came across some American tourists who said to the Queen – not realising who she was – ‘Have you ever met the Queen?’ To which she replied: ‘No! But he has’... and pointed to the policeman,” Edwards recalls with a laugh.

“The tourists surrounded that policeman, asking all sorts of questions, before turning to the actual Queen, handing her their camera and asking her to take their photo with the policeman. And she did. She’s like that one to one.”

To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this week, Edwards shares the stories behind some of his favourite photos.

The Queen at the Derby, June 2002. Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“This is my favourite picture of the Queen. It was taken at the Derby in 2002, [at the] end of the day. The woman standing behind told the Queen a joke and she just roared out laughing. This was in the Royal Box with the whole crowd watching. It’s just a great picture of the

Queen enjoying herself on her favourite day of the year.”

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Durban South Africa in 1999 Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“[With Prince Philip] on a visit to South Africa in 1999; it’s just a lovely picture of the two of them. Even after 70-plus years of marriage they still had these looks of kindness and smiles for each other.”

The Queen, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall, visited Ebony Horse Club and Community Riding Centre, Brixton, London on Tuesday 29th October 2013 Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“When people say to me that the Queen and Camilla don’t get on, I say I have pictures [like this one from 2013] that are contrary to that. Camilla is a lovely person. Here is this woman whose life completely changed when she was in her late 50s [when she married Prince Charles in 2005]. She was seen as the wicked witch. Diana called her ‘the Rottweiler’. There was a lot of bad feeling – though maybe not as much as there is for Meghan. But this woman worked tirelessly, and she’s now tremendously liked. Diana has been dead for 25 years, so people’s memories are slipping, and they’ve embraced Camilla. And now the Queen has made

this announcement that it is her wish that Camilla will become the queen consort; no-one can argue with that. You know what? Camilla is nicer than Diana. Easier to get on with. Diana used to have her moods, and when she died, she wasn’t talking to her mother or Sarah Ferguson because of silly rows. You don’t get that with the Duchess [of Cornwall].”

The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace in a gold state coach. Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“This is at the Golden Jubilee [in 2002], sitting in the same coach that was used for her coronation [in 1953]. It was a very special day, 50 years on the throne, and she’s on her way to Westminster Abbey.”

The Queen and the royal family with Tony Blair and members of the Cabinet plus leaders of the other major parties at the cenotaph. Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“This is the family watching as the Queen Mother’s coffin is carried from the church [following her public funeral in 2002]. The Queen never shed a tear. I’ve only seen her shed a tear once, when they decommissioned the royal yacht Britannia [in 1997]. I imagine all the

fun and love she had on that ship was going through her mind.”

The Queen meets watches Tommy Mattinson the world gurning champion during her visit to the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven Cumbria. Picture: Arthur Edwards.

“[During a museum visit in 2008] I came across Tommy Mattinson, the world gurning champion. I asked him to make his winning werewolf face for the Queen, which he did. And she looks so angry. It’s funny because it’s her face you look at in this picture, not his.”

Originally published as ‘Camilla is nicer than Diana’