News
Queen Elizabeth II, proprietor in trust of one of the world's greatest art collections, has died, aged 96
Britain’s longest-serving monarch died at Balmoral, her private estate in Aberdeenshire. During her reign she oversaw the opening up of the Royal Collection to the public and to art history
With royal approval: UK's arts organisation chiefs on how they have benefitted from the Queen’s patronage
Support from the Queen has been crucial to the functioning of a number of Britain's arts institutions
Obituary
Remembering Queen Elizabeth II, the British sovereign who perfected the fine art of monarchy
Over seven decades, the monarch used ceremonial, media and heritage to project soft power around the globe
Podcast
Do good monarchs make bad art collectors? Inside the British Royal Collection
Plus, how UK museums can respond to the energy crisis, and a haunting Henry Fuseli painting
Features
Why Queen Elizabeth II was one of the greatest performance artists of all time
The British sovereign made herself globally visible, using personal presence, coded symbolism, and the power of broadcasting, to uphold a constitutional monarchy in an era of unparalleled social change
Queen Elizabeth II: what really appealed to the Lowry-buying monarch who once said 'I have no taste'?
Over 70 years on the throne, the British sovereign delegated matters of aesthetics either to her late husband or to her son and heir, Charles
The best artist portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, from Cecil Beaton's fairytale glitter to Jamie Reid's punk provocation
Depictions of the British sovereign, one of the most painted women in history, reflect the changing status of the monarchy over more than half a century
A coded royal message: how the Queen used clothes to send signals to the world
From a consciously inclusive Coronation dress in 1953 to a brooch that symbolised compassion for Covid victims in 2020, Queen Elizabeth II used what she wore to be seen from afar and to make diplomatic and emotional statements
Six of the best photographs from Queen Elizabeth II's life in the spotlight
From wartime princess in khaki green to widowed monarch in black, Elizabeth became, through visual media, the most recognised figure in the world
From the archive
'For the King’s pleasure': a ground-breaking study of the interiors of Windsor Castle by a director of the Royal Collection under Elizabeth II
A landmark account of George IV’s decorations and furnishings at Windsor Castle, by Hugh Roberts, who was closely involved in the restoration of many of those interiors following the 1992 fire
The Royal Collection's list of paintings acquired in the first 50 years of Elizabeth II's reign
The acquisitions have not been ostentatious, with a significant portion of them being historic royal portraits, bequests or donations
The Queen's image: how portrayals of Elizabeth II changed over her lifetime
From Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz and from Pietro Annigoni to Lucian Freud, a broad spectrum of image-makers have portrayed the Queen
A true icon: Pietro Annigoni’s 1955 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
The story of the royal portrait that has most deeply embedded itself in British consciousness and was adopted all over the Commonwealth
Pleasant and acceptable: how Pietro Annigoni came to create a second portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 1970
In 1967 the National Portrait Gallery in London did not own a portrait of the monarch—but commissioning one was to prove a challenge