Queen Letizia Takes a Move From Queen Elizabeth's Playbook in Spectacular New Annie Leibovitz Portrait
We're bowing down.
Annie Leibovitz has photographed everyone from rock royalty to actual monarchs, and now she's immortalized another stunning queen. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, new portraits of Spain's Queen Letizia and King Felipe were released—and they echo the iconic photos Leibovitz took of Queen Elizabeth II.
Like the late British queen, Letizia, 52, poses inside a softly lit royal palace for her portrait (although she skipped the tiara). The Spanish queen looks radiant in a black strapless gown with a red satin shawl, but the royal didn't choose just any gown for her photo. In the portrait, she's wearing a vintage piece by Balenciaga founder (and fellow Spaniard) Cristóbal Balenciaga. With a ruched bodice and full, elegant skirt, her gown feels straight out of an old Hollywood movie.
But it’s the stylish queen's historic jewelry that really catches the eye. Per the Court Jeweller, Queen Letizia wore a massive diamond riviere necklace and drop earrings that have been passed down through generations of Spanish royals.
Queen Letizia wore a vintage Balenciaga gown in her new portrait.
King Felipe looked regal in his military uniform.
The pieces were first collected by Queen Ena, King Felipe’s great-grandmother, and have been worn by royals like Queen Sofia and now Letizia through the years, making them a beautiful symbol of the royal family's legacy.
As for the Spanish king, he looks dapper in a black military uniform decorated with medals as he poses in the ornate Salón de Gasparini at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The photos were snapped by the Leibovitz in February ahead of King Felipe and Queen Letizia's 20th wedding anniversary and are currently on display at the Bank of Spain.
Tourists snapped photos of the Spanish king and queen's new portraits at the Bank of Spain.
Leibovitz posed with one of her portraits of Queen Elizabeth during a 2016 exhibition.
The royal portraits bring back memories of the photos Leibovitz took of Queen Elizabeth in 2007 and 2016. While some of them are certainly more formal, like Queen Letizia's portrait, the famed photographer also captured the late monarch in one of her casual cardigan-and-skirt ensembles with her family, including her great-grandchildren.
Although Leibovitz hasn't shared any behind-the-scenes moments from her shoot in Spain just yet, she recounted a story (via Vogue) about photographing Queen Elizabeth. When the late Queen—who died in 2022—showed up for her 2007 shoot she was wearing a tiara, and Leibovitz asked if she might take it off to make the shot "less dressy."
“Less dressy!” the queen said. “What do you think this is?” Spoken like a true icon.
