Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II

1 portrait matching 'p1665'

© Thomas Struth, 2011

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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II

by Thomas Struth
chromogenic print, 7 April 2011
64 1/4 in. x 81 1/8 in. (1633 mm x 2062 mm)
Commissioned, 2011
Primary Collection
NPG P1665

Sittersback to top

Artistback to top

  • Thomas Struth (1954-), Photographer. Artist or producer of 2 portraits.

Related worksback to top

  • NPG P1665MP: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II (modern print)

Linked publicationsback to top

  • 100 Photographs, 2018, p. 144 Read entry

    This portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (b.1926) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b.1921) was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The couple are posed in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle shortly before Prince Philip’s ninetieth birthday, during what was the sixty-fourth year of their marriage. The couple met during the Second World War, when Prince Philip was a naval officer. On their marriage, the Prince renounced his own royal title to become a Windsor. Photographed by the German photographer Thomas Struth (b.1954), the portrait is a sensitive portrayal of the royal couple away from their official and ceremonial roles, but the splendid setting reminds the viewer of their status. Reflecting royal protocol, the image subtly places the Queen in a more prominent position than Prince Philip, and recalls Cecil Beaton’s coronation portrait in which Prince Philip stands in close attendance to the Queen.

  • Cannadine, Sir David (Introduction); Cooper, Tarnya; Stewart, Louise; MacGibbon, Rab; Cox, Paul; Peltz, Lucy; Moorhouse, Paul; Broadley, Rosie; Jascot-Gill, Sabina, Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits, 2018 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA, 7 October 2018 -3 February 2019. Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia, 16 March - 14 July 2019.), pp. 226-227 Read entry

    This portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is by the celebrated German photographer Thomas Struth. It was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The couple are posed in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle shortly before Prince Philip's ninetieth birthday and during what was the sixty-fourth year of their marriage. Born in Corfu, Prince Philip is the nephew of the former king of Greece, Constantine I, and, like his wife, a descendant of Queen Victoria. The couple became engaged shortly after the Second World War, during which Philip had served in the Royal Navy. On their marriage, the prince renounced his own royal title to become a Windsor; together they have four children. Struth's portrait is a sensitive portrayal of the royal couple away from their official and ceremonial roles, but the splendid setting reminds the viewer that his sitters are far from being an ordinary elderly couple. The image is exceptionally frank but still manages to reflect royal protocol, by subtly placing the Queen in a more prominent position than Prince Philip, and recalls Cecil Beaton's coronation portrait, in which Prince Philip stands in dose attendance on the Queen (NPG P1458). In 2017 they celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary, with Elizabeth becoming the longest-married reigning sovereign in history.

  • Rab MacGibbon, National Portrait Gallery: The Collection, p. 125
  • Shulman, Alexandra, Elizabeth II Princess, Queen, Icon, 2021, p. 131

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