Photographic portraits of the Royal Family to go on show in Edinburgh

A photograph of King Charles on the verge of adulthood in Balmoral and the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family are going on display.

The portrait of The King when Prince of Wales by Godfrey Argent was released to mark his 18th birthday in 1966. 

Taken in the library of Balmoral Castle, the photograph shows the young prince smiling while standing in a tweed jacket and a Balmoral tartan kilt.

It will feature at the exhibition Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography at The King’s Gallery, Edinburgh, which will chart the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day.

Photographs taken to mark milestone birthdays of members of the Royal Family are among the star works in the exhibition, including images from the famed 1971 series taken by Norman Parkinson to mark Princess Anne’s 21st birthday. 

Yousuf Karsh, Princess Elizabeth, 1951. Credit: Photograph: Yousuf Karsh / Camera Press

The ‘coming of age’ portraits show her in the gardens of Frogmore House, as well as standing in front of a fantastical painted scene reminiscent of a Scottish landscape, featuring a galloping white unicorn bearing her royal standard.

Bringing together more than 90 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives, the exhibition – which follows a successful run in London – will also consider the artistic and technological advances in photography as it evolved into a recognised art form.

‘The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, each one captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years – from Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson to Annie Leibovitz and Rankin,’ curator Alessandro Nasini said.

‘Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, many of which are which are being shown in Scotland for the first time, we are excited to share archival correspondence, photographers’ handwritten annotations and unreleased proofs that lift the curtain on the process of commissioning, sitting for, and selecting royal portraits.’

Visitors will see glamourous images from the first half of the 20th century, taken by some of the most respected photographers of the era. 

All of the photographs in the exhibition are vintage prints – the original works produced by the photographer – and the earliest works date from the 1920s and 30s, the golden age of the society photographer. 

A highlight will be the earliest surviving photographic print of a member of the Royal Family to be produced in colour. 

Taken by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography, the photograph shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (sister-in-law to King George VI and Edward VIII) on her wedding day in 1935.

In the mid-20th century, no royal photographer had a greater impact on shaping the monarchy’s public image than Cecil Beaton. 

The exhibition will present some of Beaton’s most memorable photographs, taken over six decades. 

Cecil Beaton, Princess Margaret, 1949. Credit: Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024 | Royal Collection Trust

These include Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s famed 1939 shoot in the Buckingham Palace Gardens, dressed in gowns designed by Norman Hartnell, and Beaton’s original Coronation portraits of Queen Elizabeth II – arguably the most prestigious photography commission of the century.

Another example is an ethereal photograph of Queen Elizabeth II as a princess, taken by Yousuf Karsh in 1951. Arriving in Ottawa, Canada, in 1924 as a refugee from Armenia, Karsh went on to earn a worldwide reputation for his use of dramatic lighting and ability to capture his sitters’ character and dignity.

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography is at The King’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, 28 February – 7 September 2025.

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