HM Queen Elizabeth II en route to Edinburgh on the inaugural service of British Rail's 225 train Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
Choosing curtain fabric for her official home in Scotland and sharing a joke with her staff on board a newly-built train, these behind the scenes photographs of the Queen provide a rare glimpse of the monarch off-guard.
As the Queen prepares to enter the record books on Wednesday as our longest-reigning sovereign, these pictures, which have never been published before, are a reminder of just how little we know about her life beyond her public appearances.
They were taken by David Secombe, who was working as a stills photographer for the BBC during the filming of the documentary Elizabeth R in 1991.
Over the course of eight months Mr Secombe, son of the late comedian Sir Harry, documented the Queen’s working life in pictures for a BBC book and for publicity for the series.
He said: “It was only my second job for the BBC and my main memory of that time is just how technically difficult it was to take those pictures.
HM Queen Elizabeth II chooses curtain fabric duringher stay at Holyrood House in Edinburgh, Scotland Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
“I was shooting around a film crew, and I was there just to photograph what I observed, rather than interact with anyone.
“I felt a bit like David Attenborough - you don’t want anyone to know you’re there. My camera had to be inside a box called a blimp so that it was completely silent, but it just made me even more conspicuous because it was the size of a large biscuit tin.”
In one of the pictures, the Queen is shown contemplating curtain fabrics in different shades of red laid out on the floor for her to choose from during a stay at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her official residence in Edinburgh. Two aides stand next to her to offer their own thoughts, if requested.
“I was shooting around a film crew, and I was there just to photograph what I observed, rather than interact with anyone.
“I felt a bit like David Attenborough - you don’t want anyone to know you’re there. My camera had to be inside a box called a blimp so that it was completely silent, but it just made me even more conspicuous because it was the size of a large biscuit tin.”
In one of the pictures, the Queen is shown contemplating curtain fabrics in different shades of red laid out on the floor for her to choose from during a stay at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her official residence in Edinburgh. Two aides stand next to her to offer their own thoughts, if requested.
HM Queen Elizabeth II en route to Edinburgh on the inaugural service of British Rail's 225 train Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
Flying home from an official visit to Belfast, the Queen sits with a cup of coffee and a sheaf of papers spread on a table in front of her, showing that even when she has completed a successful high-profile engagement, there is no time for relaxing.
One moment of down time is captured as the Queen travels from London to Edinburgh on the inaugural voyage of British Rail’s new 225 train. Sitting on the armrest of her seat, she laughs as she shares a joke with fellow passengers.
After arriving at Holyroodhouse, the Queen sits on a settee watching the television news, before going through papers from her red boxes at her desk, as she does every day except Christmas Day. Another shot shows her opening correspondence at her desk in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, another of her daily tasks.
Flying home from an official visit to Belfast, the Queen sits with a cup of coffee and a sheaf of papers spread on a table in front of her, showing that even when she has completed a successful high-profile engagement, there is no time for relaxing.
One moment of down time is captured as the Queen travels from London to Edinburgh on the inaugural voyage of British Rail’s new 225 train. Sitting on the armrest of her seat, she laughs as she shares a joke with fellow passengers.
After arriving at Holyroodhouse, the Queen sits on a settee watching the television news, before going through papers from her red boxes at her desk, as she does every day except Christmas Day. Another shot shows her opening correspondence at her desk in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, another of her daily tasks.
HM Queen Elizabeth II pictured working on her red box of official papers Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
A final picture, which was used as a reference point for the opening scene of the Helen Mirren film The Queen, shows Her Majesty in full Order of the Garter robes sitting for a portrait by Andrew Festing at Buckingham Palace.
London-based Mr Secombe, 53, said that in all the time he was following the Queen he barely spoke to her.
A final picture, which was used as a reference point for the opening scene of the Helen Mirren film The Queen, shows Her Majesty in full Order of the Garter robes sitting for a portrait by Andrew Festing at Buckingham Palace.
London-based Mr Secombe, 53, said that in all the time he was following the Queen he barely spoke to her.
“Because we were travelling around a lot you say hello and she gets used to you, and occasionally a few words would be said but it’s a delicate thing, you just want to stay in the background.”
HM Queen Elizabeth II pictured watching the news on television at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
The BBC team accompanied the Queen on a rare trip to Belfast, which at the time was regarded as far more of a security risk than royal trips to Northern Ireland are now.
Mr Secombe said: “It was a big secret. No-one knew where we were going until we got to the airport. We were just told to be at the airport and then we were told we were going to Belfast.”
Asked if the commission changed his life, Mr Secombe said: “I think it got me noticed but the year after that I hardly got any work at all!
“It did, though, mean I got to do a couple of official portraits of the Queen in subsequent years, one of the Queen and Prince Charles in the 1990s and one for the Golden Jubilee in 2002.”
The Queen will surpass Queen Victoria’s record reign of 63 years seven months and two days at around 5.30pm on Wednesday. She will spend the morning opening a new railway line in the Borders before returning to Balmoral.
The BBC team accompanied the Queen on a rare trip to Belfast, which at the time was regarded as far more of a security risk than royal trips to Northern Ireland are now.
Mr Secombe said: “It was a big secret. No-one knew where we were going until we got to the airport. We were just told to be at the airport and then we were told we were going to Belfast.”
Asked if the commission changed his life, Mr Secombe said: “I think it got me noticed but the year after that I hardly got any work at all!
“It did, though, mean I got to do a couple of official portraits of the Queen in subsequent years, one of the Queen and Prince Charles in the 1990s and one for the Golden Jubilee in 2002.”
The Queen will surpass Queen Victoria’s record reign of 63 years seven months and two days at around 5.30pm on Wednesday. She will spend the morning opening a new railway line in the Borders before returning to Balmoral.
HM Queen Elizabeth II pictured on the flight home from Belfast after her historic visit to Northern Ireland Photo: David Secombe/ Camera Press
She will spend the evening with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be carrying out engagements elsewhere after the Queen insisted the day should be “business as usual”.
She will spend the evening with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be carrying out engagements elsewhere after the Queen insisted the day should be “business as usual”.
Telegraph
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