In the 20 years that they have been married, Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia have posed for official portraits by many photographers. None, however, have been the subject of as much anticipation as those taken by Annie Leibovitz, one of the most celebrated photographers in the world, for the Banco de España’s collection of royal portraits.
The occasion for the new portraits was the 10th anniversary of Felipe VI’s ascent to the throne. Rather than create one portrait with both monarchs, Leibovitz shows them separately in a diptych. Both images are on a large scale, measuring 7 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 5 inches and the intention is that they will always be displayed together.
The two portraits cost the Banco de España around $145,000 (another portrait of the former governor of the bank, Pablo Hernández de Cos, was an additional almost $93,000). The photos were taken in February during a session which lasted more than five hours at the Royal Palace in Madrid, in the Salón de Gasparini, where the king receives dignitaries and honored guests. One of the most beautiful rooms in the palace, its elaborate 18th-century Rococo chinoiserie design has survived practically untouched.
Queen Letizia photographed by Annie Leibovitz.Photograph by ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
Photograph printed on primed polyester canvas with UV curable inks
Commissioned from the artist in 2023
Colección Banco de España
When it came to selecting an outfit for the occasion, Queen Letizia opted for two vintage pieces by the most important Spanish haute couture designer in history, Cristóbal Balenciaga: a strapless black silk tulle ball gown paired with a red silk cape. Both belong to the private collection of the Fundación Antoni de Montpalau, which is dedicated to fashion and fabrics from Catalonia and the rest of Spain. The pieces are on display in the foundation’s collection in Sabadell, Spain, and were lent to the queen following her personal request. The queen also wears a necklace and earrings from the jewelry collection of the king’s great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenia.
In his own portrait, King Felipe VI wears a military uniform, as he has done in other official images. This time, he wears the uniform of Captain General of the Army, with the insignia of Captain General on both sides of the collar along with those of some of the most important Spanish orders of which, as Spain’s king, he is a member: the Collar, the Cross, and the Band of the Royal Order of Charles III and the Crosses of the Aeronautical, Military and Naval Merits.
The style, the lighting, the setting, and the poses of the monarchs seem more typical of a portrait on canvas than a photograph. These are all choices that were completely intentional, as Yolanda Romero, the curator of the exhibition, “The Tyranny of Chronos,” explains: “These are picturesque compositions with allusions to the works of another artist who created court portraits, Velázquez.” (The exhibition includes 50 works by 24 different artists, with tapestries, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and watches that touch on the theme of the passage of time. It is open to the public from November 27, 2024, through March 29, 2025. Entry is free, but it is necessary to book in advance.)
