“Would you mind taking that off? Just set it over there…”
So the big question is; would you ask Queen Elizabeth 2 to remove her crown for a portrait photo?
I can imagine that words to that effect were asked by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz while she was shooting a series of portraits of The Queen. But that wasn’t the only shooting taking place at the moment. The photo shoot was also being videotaped for a BBC documentary about The Queen. The film shows The Queen giving Ms. Leibovitz an icy look, and then cuts to a scene of The Queen tossing off a little barb comment to her attendant while walking in a hallway. Surely we are led to believe The Queen was not happy about being asked to remove her crown.
But hold on to your own crown jewels! That’s not the real story, now according to the BBC, who are backtracking and dishing up apologies as quick as turning out cold toast for breakfast. Apparently, the huffed comment in the hallway was actually shot before the photo shoot and crown removal request. Methinks the BBC doth take editing lessons from the good folks at MTV, confusing documentary TV with Reality TV. Is Simon Cowell somehow involved? One can only wonder.
Perhaps some Shakespeare could sum this debacle up:
“…oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.”
or, “How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!”
Read the story, and see some of the photos.
So, if you were taking a photo of The Queen, and she walks in wearing a crown, would you ask her to remove it if you thought it would make a better photo?
