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.
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.
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.
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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.
Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.
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