Bailey brings a mischievous glint to the Queen’s eye

This portrait of the Queen was released to mark her 88th birthday today
This portrait of the Queen was released to mark her 88th birthday today
DAVID BAILEY/BUCKINGHAM PALACE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Some artists focused on her robes and jewels, others on her regal bearing or, as she got older, her wrinkles. A few made the corgis an essential accessory. However, for David Bailey, whose new photographic portrait of the Queen was unveiled yesterday, it was her kind yet mischievous eyes that he most wanted to bring out.

If there is one commodity that the country does not lack, it is portraits of the Queen. The National Portrait Gallery, which owns 813 of them, calls her the most portrayed person in history. Yet few reveal as broad a smile as that captured by Bailey.

On her 88th birthday, the Queen is both happy and glorious. “I’ve always been a huge fan of the Queen,” Bailey said. “She