Kelly says the Queen once confided in her that she had a "secret wish" to be photographed more informally ever since she was young, so when an opportunity presented itself at a photoshoot one day, Kelly, remembering the conversation, asked Her Majesty if she would consider modelling with her hands in her pockets.
“The Queen looked at me in amazement as I asked whether she knew the potential implications of the photographs,” said Kelly. “She didn't take long to answer: yes, she would do it and, yes, she was sure.”
The photographer Barry Jeffery began to explain how the photoshoot would progress, but was quickly hushed by the Queen.
“Within moments, the Queen raised her hand respectfully and Barry immediately stopped talking,” said Kelly. “‘No Barry, this is how we're going to do it,' she said. 'Just keep the camera rolling.'”
"And we were off. Her Majesty took her position in front of the lens and started striking a series of poses, slipping her hands in and out of her pockets and placing them onto her hips, mimicking the stances of a professional model.”
"I stood in disbelief, the Queen was a natural," she added.
However, when the photos were presented to the Royal Collection, they were not impressed.
"Their opinion was that these more candid photographs would bring the monarchy down and therefore they were not suitable for the public eye.”
“Why they thought that, I have no idea," she added.
