Last Queen photog recounts ‘unposed’ experience with Her Majesty

The photographer who captured the final image of the Queen at Balmoral stated that Her Majesty “seemed extremely joyful” and recalled her “unposed” meeting with the deceased monarch.

Tuesday, Jane Barlow, an assistant photographer, was sent to shoot the Queen receiving Liz Truss as the freshly elected Conservative Party leader and prime minister.

Two days after the photograph was taken, on Thursday, the Queen passed away, making the image far more tragic.

In an interview, Barlow described her short moments alone with Her Majesty at the time she snapped the photo.

The photo was “unposed” and taken shortly prior to Liz Truss’s arrival to meet the Queen following her election as the new leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.

Barlow stated, “I was dispatched to Balmoral to cover the royal schedule.” I was there to photograph the Queen receiving the new prime minister, and just before the new prime minister entered the room, I had a few seconds with Her Majesty, during which time I captured this image.

‘When I entered the room with the Queen’s press secretary, she was very cheerful and stepped into place. We had to wait a short time for Lizz Truss to be introduced, so she spoke on the weather during that brief period.

She commented on how dark it was outside due to the weather closing in, and she appeared to be in excellent spirits.

‘She was obviously quite frail, but she was always smiling, and she gave me many smiles.

“She appeared to be quite joyful and smiley.

Jane Barlow (shown) is the photographer who took the final portrait of the Queen before her passing.

“Thereafter, Liz Truss is properly introduced as she enters the chamber, and she approaches Her Majesty for a handshake, which I photographed.”

‘Of course, she greeted Liz Truss with another warm grin, and at that point I left the room; that was the entirety of my brief interaction with Her Majesty on Tuesday.’

It was a beautiful moment while we waited for those few minutes.

It was a spontaneous moment in which she simply looked up and smiled, made all the more sad by the fact that it was one of the final photographs shot of her.

Jane Barlow uploaded the final photograph of the Queen to Instagram just two days before her death.

Fergus Mutch commended Jane Barlow on Twitter for capturing the “ideal historic image of the Queen’s last day of public duty.”

Barlow published the image on her Instagram account two days ago with the following caption: “The Queen waits in the Drawing Room prior to receiving Liz Truss for an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government.”

Jane Barlow has fifteen years of expertise photographing monarchs and politicians.

Fergus Mutch, the SNP candidate for Aberdeenshire West in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, praised Barlow on Twitter for capturing the event.

Last Saturday, he saw @belperbarlow in Braemar. She was a touch anxious about Tuesday, with the Queen, the incoming prime minister, and herself in the same room, taking a photo for the world to see.

It was a superb historical depiction of The Queen’s last day of public responsibilities at her beloved Balmoral residence.’