Royal Photographer Chris Jackson Shares the Stories Behind His Favorite King Charles Pictures
In his illuminating book Charles III: A King and His Queen, royal photographer Chris Jackson tells the stories behind some iconic portraits
In his illuminating book Charles III: A King and His Queen, royal photographer Chris Jackson tells the stories behind some iconic portraits — including a behind-the-scenes trick he used to relax Charles and his family.
Here, Jackson recounts what it is like capturing some of the images that will go down in history.
As a project to shoot some behind-the-scenes pictures of the then-Prince of Wales to mark his 70th birthday came to a close, Jackson was asked to capture Charles' family.
"I was keen to make everyone as relaxed as possible whilst introducing an element of humor into the shoot. In the run-up, I secured the permission to do things different and bought a bear suit. I thought I'd test it on my son Theo when he was in the bath — but he freaked out and burst into tears. I think it did have rather large teeth, and I can see why he did! So, I had to rethink things quickly and, with a last-minute online purchase, I found a more friendly-looking bear suit — and it had the desired effect."
Inside was a usually-dapper member of Charles' staff. Jackson adds, "When he came out halfway through the shoot, it made everyone burst into laughter, and it ultimately resulted in that photograph where you might wonder, 'What are they looking at?' "
"We had practiced it before and choreographed it. He crept up behind me and I looked 'round to my left and he'd move to my right and I'd look that way and he'd move to my left again. It wasn't the kind of thing you would do without getting an element of permission for. It was a memorable moment for me."
Of a 2016 visit to Adelaide, "They had these two koalas. Charles had the larger one, called Kaa, while the Duchess had Matilda which was a cute wriggly one. They were slightly worried as Prince Charles joked about their weak bladders, and they had specially designed [diapers] for them. It was a fun picture and a good example of those relaxed moments you get on royal tours."
From his bachelor days, when he was one of the most eligible catches in the world, Charles has always loved Aston Martin sports cars. This one runs on bio-fuels and Jackson got a close-up – there's even a Bond-style ejector button among the controls.
"It's a stunning car – and of course, it runs on excess cheese, wine and whey. He zips around in an electric car most of the time. But he got this in the 1970s, and it's been converted to run on surplus white wine and whey from the cheese process. I love the ejector button — I couldn't quite believe it when I first saw it. I photographed the prince with Daniel Craig, and he's clearly a fan of James Bond. I didn't have the guts to try it," Jackson says of the ejector button. And the King didn't shed any light on whether the button actually works.
Around the country, Charles and Camilla "have this amazing ability to connect with different parts of society. And that's always been great to capture."
During a 2021 outing in Brixton, South London, "Rather than get in his car, he went on an impromptu walkabout. He wants to meet as many people as possible and understands that whilst it's another day's work for him, it is a memorable day for those people who have taken the time to come and try to catch a glimpse of him."
Jackson says of Camilla's role, "They're in this unique situation to work so closely with their spouse. But they have been doing it for many years. And they work well as a team – part of that is that they split up at times and that enables them to do as many events as possible because there's two of them. They have a great level of stamina at an age when many people would have retired. They meet many people, and might go to a banquet on a tour and then are up the next morning doing it all over again. It's impressive."
Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall playfully held up their masks up at the Elephant Family Animal Ball at Clarence House in 2019.
"I've enjoyed photographing them because they do make the job enjoyable because they have a great sense of humor. They're able to laugh at themselves and don't take themselves too seriously. They're members of the royal family, so there's an element of formality in lots of what they do. But its lovely to capture these more relaxed pictures," Jackson says.
"We don't get to see the children as regularly as the senior members of the royal family because they're at school or nursery. So it makes it all the more special when you get the opportunity to do so," the photographer says. "They change the whole dynamic and introduce an exciting and lovely element because things are a little bit less scripted. The novelty of having them there is so lovely, and people warm to the photographs. The fact that it doesn't happen on a regular basis makes it all the more special."
Released late last year when it was announced that King Charles became ranger of Windsor Great Park, an image of the monarch leaning against a tree is already becoming an iconic portrait.
"I have photographed him so many formal settings, and it was so nice to photograph him in the wilderness, so to speak – under this 600-year-old tree in a very historic park," says Jackson. "And it occurred to me the history that had happened around this tree and here was this little moment of history too. You often have plans with photographs like this, but they happen organically and this was one of those."
King Charles and Queen Camilla's first foreign tour of the new reign was to Berlin and Hamburg in Germany.
"It was a really busy few days, and if we had had Paris as well [that part of the tour was postponed due to unrest in France], it would have been a very tiring week away – for them, I'm sure," Jackson explains. "They packed a lot into a few days and had a great response."
He adds, "I won't forget the crowds in Hamburg. I was up on the balcony, and I looked out across crowds of thousands of people, who were really positive and keen to meet the people. The couple went on to do a big walkabout. They met only enthusiastic people. There was a really good response."
"I don't remember seeing a crowd that big on a tour before," Jackson said of Hamburg. "I was amazed. It was one of the biggest crowds I had ever seen on a royal tour."
He adds, "People were excited to meet the new King. It is your one opportunity to see these people that you have seen in the news and in magazines. And coming so soon after Queen Elizabeth's passing, that was such a high profile moment and a moment of history. I suppose they want to be part of a new history."
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