London: The Sun newspaper Arthur Edwards81, taking photos Queen Elizabeth II for 45 years, and describes him as an enduring source of inspiration.
But ahead of the 96-year-old monarch’s platinum jubilee celebrations, the veteran royal snapper told AFP the royal family is facing a “difficult transition”.
“She was always the one who went at you, nothing changed, she went slow, at her own pace. She was never, ever surprised.
“She’s never interviewed so no one really knows her thoughts on things. But you get these little things from the people you talk to, like her dresser.
“For example, she goes on vacation to her Balmoral Scottish estate every year. I once told her, ‘Why don’t you go somewhere else?’ And she said ‘Well, where can I go?’
“The waiting lady laughed and came back to me and said she was absolutely in love with Balmoral and I said ‘why?’. She said because for three months people ignore her.
“And the reason she likes dogs and horses is because they don’t know she’s the queen.”
“It’s going to be difficult, the transition. Everyone knows the Queen: she’s on every banknote, she’s on every coin, she’s on every stamp.
“The queen is part of our culture, it is part of our lives.
“Prince of Wales (heir to the throne) prince charles) himself has done a tremendous job and I know this because I am working closely with him.
“He’s an incredible man, but it’s going to be difficult.
“He’s done a lot of things where he recently stood in for the Queen. He does it without any fuss and people will see that he’s real and I think they’ll accept him but it won’t be easy.
“He’s following one of the most amazing monarchs we’ve ever had in this country.
“She served in the war. Now we’ve got these problems with (grandson Prince) Harry and she copes with all these things brilliantly.
“Whenever things get tough here, she goes on television and she talks to the country. Diana Died, she spoke to the nation. With Covid, he spoke to the nation. She’s a woman who matters.”
“Last October I took her picture, she was weak but she was dry, she was fabulous.
“She was with boris johnson and he was introduced john kerry From America, Bill Gates … and she was fine.
“She stood on her feet for an hour, but the next day she went to the hospital.
“In the last six months she has become very weak, she has lost a lot of weight. Clothes have been adjusted, sometimes clothes are hanging on her.
“She seeks a doctor’s advice. The problem is… she wants to walk and she can’t.
“And she doesn’t want to embarrass herself. I wrote a piece saying she should get a wheelchair. There’s no shame in that, but she wouldn’t for some reason.”
“If we don’t see the queen on her birth anniversary, millions of people will be disappointed.
“They come London To see the concerts and they’re going to see the spectacle, but what they really want to see is the queen.”
But ahead of the 96-year-old monarch’s platinum jubilee celebrations, the veteran royal snapper told AFP the royal family is facing a “difficult transition”.
“She was always the one who went at you, nothing changed, she went slow, at her own pace. She was never, ever surprised.
“She’s never interviewed so no one really knows her thoughts on things. But you get these little things from the people you talk to, like her dresser.
“For example, she goes on vacation to her Balmoral Scottish estate every year. I once told her, ‘Why don’t you go somewhere else?’ And she said ‘Well, where can I go?’
“The waiting lady laughed and came back to me and said she was absolutely in love with Balmoral and I said ‘why?’. She said because for three months people ignore her.
“And the reason she likes dogs and horses is because they don’t know she’s the queen.”
“It’s going to be difficult, the transition. Everyone knows the Queen: she’s on every banknote, she’s on every coin, she’s on every stamp.
“The queen is part of our culture, it is part of our lives.
“Prince of Wales (heir to the throne) prince charles) himself has done a tremendous job and I know this because I am working closely with him.
“He’s an incredible man, but it’s going to be difficult.
“He’s done a lot of things where he recently stood in for the Queen. He does it without any fuss and people will see that he’s real and I think they’ll accept him but it won’t be easy.
“He’s following one of the most amazing monarchs we’ve ever had in this country.
“She served in the war. Now we’ve got these problems with (grandson Prince) Harry and she copes with all these things brilliantly.
“Whenever things get tough here, she goes on television and she talks to the country. Diana Died, she spoke to the nation. With Covid, he spoke to the nation. She’s a woman who matters.”
“Last October I took her picture, she was weak but she was dry, she was fabulous.
“She was with boris johnson and he was introduced john kerry From America, Bill Gates … and she was fine.
“She stood on her feet for an hour, but the next day she went to the hospital.
“In the last six months she has become very weak, she has lost a lot of weight. Clothes have been adjusted, sometimes clothes are hanging on her.
“She seeks a doctor’s advice. The problem is… she wants to walk and she can’t.
“And she doesn’t want to embarrass herself. I wrote a piece saying she should get a wheelchair. There’s no shame in that, but she wouldn’t for some reason.”
“If we don’t see the queen on her birth anniversary, millions of people will be disappointed.
“They come London To see the concerts and they’re going to see the spectacle, but what they really want to see is the queen.”