The Royals, between reality and the imaginary

For centuries, portraiture has played a vital role in shaping the public's perception of the British royal family. This exhibition traces the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 150 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives. Shots by the most famous royal photographers, from Cecil Beaton and Dorothy Wilding to Annie Leibovitz and Rankin, and lesser-known photographs such as those collected through the lens of Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon), who married Princess Margaret in 1960. The exhibition chronicles some of the most famous photographs ever taken of the Royal Family and describes the genesis of these works, thanks to handwritten notes by the photographers, never-before-seen correspondence between members of the royal family and their staff and historical documents.