HRH The Princess Royal unveiled a portrait of Her Majesty The Queen at Church House Conference Centre, following a commemorative service in Westminster Abbey on 20th September.
Princess Anne was joined by Royal British Legion beneficiaries and supporters in a commemorative service at Westminster Abbey, which was followed by the official unveiling of the new portrait of HM The Queen by artist Darren Baker.
One of the UK’s most renowned contemporary artists, Darren Baker, was commissioned by the Legion to paint the portrait, the first since Rolf Harris’s portrait in 2005, which was unveiled today in front of 300 guests.
The portrait is hyper realistic and gives the impression of being more like a photograph than an oil on canvas. The precision, skill and attention to detail of Her Majesty is remarkable and the result is one of the most true to character portraits of our Monarch this century.
Darren Baker said the commission to paint The Queen has been the greatest honour of his career and an experience he will always treasure. "The Queen’s wristwatch is set to 11:00am representing Remembrance and the spray of five poppies on The Queen’s brooch highlights the poppy as an iconic symbol and ultimate reminder of the debt we owe; it was essential that this formed a central part within the portrait."
Sir John Kiszely KCB MC, National President of The Royal British Legion said; “We have been waiting to see this final product for some months and it is clear Darren Baker has produced one of the most remarkably realistic portraits of our Monarch this century. The portrait clearly represents the special relationship between The Royal British Legion and The British Monarchy."
"The Legion is honoured The Queen agreed to sit for this historic portrait and it is a joy to be in the presence of The Princess Royal on this special occasion."
“As the patron of The Royal British Legion since 1953, The Queen has played an important role in shaping our values and ensuring we remain the leading Armed Forces charity in the United Kingdom.”
