Jackson captured Queen Elizabeth during royal engagements, family moments and more for 20 years.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson has been capturing the royal family during some of their biggest moments for 20 years, and many of Jackson's images of Queen Elizabeth II chronicled Her Majesty's dedicated service, sense of humor and devotion to her family.
“The queen was an absolutely incredible person to photograph,” Jackson told ET’s Kevin Frazier following the royal’s funeral on Monday.
“I mean, people talk about her aura and that is no understatement. She walks into a room and for her, it was just another day at work, but for the people she met, it could be one of the most exciting days of her life. I think she understood that,” he said.
As someone who spent much of his career photographing the monarch, Jackson knew the royal’s secret to making sure she was seen -- although it was impossible to miss her.
“She always wore bright colors,” he said. “She knew that everyone wanted to see her, and she was the focus of everyone's attention. I think she respected that, and I think that was a really important part of her character. But to photograph her was a huge privilege.”
Jackson had the chance to capture Queen Elizabeth in one of her most iconic moments to date -- when she made a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during her Platinum Jubilee celebration following days of absence.
“One of the most special times was at Platinum Jubilee,” Jackson said. “Of course, we all remember her on the balcony appearing for that final Platinum Jubilee appearance where no one was quite sure if she'd actually be able to make it. And so, it was a pretty emotional moment when she came out wearing green. She looked out across a sea of people, and I think she must have been quite emotional.”
While Jackson was on hand Monday to photograph the royals on what may be their most somber occasion to date, he does recall some of the sweeter moments between the queen and her family -- especially an unforgettable one involving her and a young Prince George.
“I've been lucky to photograph the family all together and capture some of those lovely family moments,” Jackson told ET. “One of my favorite pictures actually is of Prince George chatting to the queen at Princess Charlotte's christening and he's pointing up looking at her hat. Who knows what they're saying, but it's just a lovely moment.”
“Every opportunity you get to photograph the family together was really special," he continued. "Things like christenings, births, weddings. It was always a really rare but special opportunity.”
For Jackson, he never had to question who he was going to get whenever Queen Elizabeth arrived.
“I think the thing about the queen is she was always the queen,” he said. “You know, she behaved in a way that you might expect and that made her a different photograph than other members of the royal family.”
“There was always that magic about photographing the queen, which I think was so special," he noted. "And the fact that in recent years it wasn't that often made it even more special.”
For Jackson, the memories of the queen are just a small piece of a greater legacy. However, he is happy to have the moments to look back on.
“I've been looking this week at some of the pictures I've taken of the queen over the last 20 years and it's been really special,” he shared.
“The thing about the queen, looking back on some of the photos from her life has been incredible. There's been some amazing photographers over the years. We've taken iconic pictures of the queen and she outlasted everyone," Jackson said. "My 20 years is a mere snapshot of her life.”
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