Photograph of Queen Elizabeth II seated in full length facing the viewer in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace. The Queen is illuminated by light from the window on her left and she wears Garter robes and a diamond tiara.

A series of four photographs were commissioned by the Royal Household from the American photographer Annie Leibovitz to mark The Queen’s State Visit to the United States of America in 2007.

Taken in the White Drawing Room, the first portrait of the shoot conveys the formality of the monarch’s role and the complexity of her related attire, which includes the mantle of the Order of the Garter (that Cecil Beaton had photographed her in), insignia and a tiara. The warm gold tone of the dress, chosen by Leibovitz, matches the gold silk curtains, the furniture, and the room’s decorative elements, consolidating the whole space as part of the photographer’s vision.