Photographer David Bailey is sharing some of the most memorable moments from his decades-long career — including an unforgettable shoot withQueen Elizabeth.
Bailey, 84, opened up about his work in an interview published Monday inThe Telegraphand spilled his secret to getting his subjects to loosen up for the camera.
He recalled, “I said: ‘I bet that cost a few bob, girl’.”
When asked if he really called the Queen “girl,” the photographer replied, “It just came out. I call everyone ‘girl.’ "
Foc Kan/WireImage Image
He added, “But she was girlish. Made a real effort. We had a laugh. Beautiful skin, the Queen.”
Bailey also recalled a special sitting withPrincess Dianain the ’80s, admitting that the royal had “terrible hair” from the hairspray-heavy style of the day.
The shellacked look, which Bailey called “solid as a plastic dummy,” came in handy when a light fell on Diana’s head during the shoot.
At the time, “I thought, oh f—!” Bailey said, but Diana was gracious in the moment and even comforted the assistant who dropped the light.
Princess Diana.David Bailey
“She said: ‘Don’t think about it; it was a terrible accident.’ I told her she had been very magnanimous – that’s right, because she asked me what magnanimous meant,” Bailey remembered.
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A photo of Diana taken at the shoot wasreleased for the first timeearlier this month. The image, which is a black-and-white photo, shows Diana posing elegantly in profile while appearing “reserved, stoic and looking away from the viewer,” per the curators at Historic Royal Palaces.
Diana’s portrait is on display at her former home of Kensington Palace, where it opened to the public on March 4 as part of theLife Through a Royal Lensexhibit.
source: people.com
