Sleeve cover for the record God Save the Queen by The Sex Pistols.

The designer and artist Jamie Reid drew upon Grugeon’s official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (see RCIN 2148924) for multiple works. One version featured on the cover of punk single God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols, released a week before the monarch’s Silver Jubilee. In Reid’s interpretation, Grugeon’s portrait has been flipped and the sitter’s eyes and mouth replaced with typography resembling a ransom note. Intended to evoke sympathy for the English working classes, it was regarded as an assault on the monarchy and was banned by most radio stations. The iconoclastic reworking remains an enduring symbol of the punk era.