Colouor transparency of Princess Anne. Half-length portrait.

While Princess Anne’s first sitting with Norman Parkinson in 1969 captured the teenager’s vibrant energy while riding a horse in Windsor Great Park, her ‘coming of age’ portraits show a sophisticated and stylish woman. The princess’s clothing and hairstyles represent the latest fashion, embodying the spirit of the time. This sitting proved as transformative for the Princess’s image as Beaton’s 1939 sitting had been for Queen Elizabeth.

The grounds of Frogmore House provided the setting for most of the photographs, including a wooden teahouse made for Queen Victoria (RCIN 2824907), as well as a colourful backdrop, specially painted by the artist Gordon Davies, incorporating the princess’s royal standard carried by a unicorn (seen here).