Crown Jewels

The Artswipe
Crown Jewels, 2007
Collage

After reading the following news report at the Internet Movie Database, titled "Queen Storms Out of Photo Shoot", The Artswipe made the artwork you see before you.

Queen Elizabeth II stormed out of a recent photo shoot when acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz asked the British monarch to take off her crown. The royal was posing for a series of official photos at her Buckingham Palace home - to mark her state visit to the U.S. earlier this year - when Rolling Stone snapper Leibovitz went too far. The Queen was less than amused when she was told she looked too dressed up for the occasion. The photographer asked the Queen to wear Order of the Garter robes and a Diamond tiara, but had a change of heart on the day, asking, "I think it will look better without the crown. Less dressy. The garment robe is so ... extraordinary." The Queen them fumed, "Less dressy? What do you think this is?" She then left the room, reportedly muttering, "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough of dressing like this, thank you very much." The extraordinary scenes were caught by a camera crew filming a documentary, entitled A Year With the Queen. Leibovitz, who did eventually manage to complete the portrait pictures, recalls, "She doesn't really want to get dressed up anymore. She just couldn't be bothered and I admire her for that." The documentary will be aired on the BBC later this year.