Queen Elizabeth II : signed photograph (“Elizabeth R”), also signed by Prince Philip. 1955.

Gelatin silver print photograph, 200 x 150 mm, on its original plain card mount signed in fountain pen in the bottom margin by both Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth R) and Prince Philip (Philip) with the date 1955 in between the two signatures; the photograph is in fine condition; the royal signatures are both strong and unfaded; housed in the original glazed gilt metal frame.

This portrait photograph of the British royal family was taken in 1954 and shows, in an informal garden setting, the Queen and Prince Philip with their two children, five-year-old Prince Charles and Princess Anne aged two, and one of the Queen’s beloved corgis. It was almost certainly taken by Marcus Adams (1875-1959), who was the Royal Court photographer for thirty years between 1926 and 1956.

Protocol forbids members of the royal family from signing autographs; the signatures of Queen Elizabeth II and her immediate family members are therefore extremely rare. In fact, the signature of Queen Elizabeth II is one of the most valuable and sought after signatures of any person of the modern era.

Provenance: This signed photograph was presented to the head butler of the Royal Norwegian Palace during the first state visit by Queen Elizabeth II to a non-Commonwealth country following her coronation. The visit, in June 1955, coincided with Norway’s Golden Jubilee of Independence celebrations; it was to be the last hosted by King Haakon VII.