In the quarter-century he’s been photographing the royal family, Chris Jackson has never experienced a period of turbulence and challenge like the one since King Charles III’s coronation.
“It’s pretty unbelievable that it all happened at the same time,” Jackson, 46, tells nine.com.au
Getty Images royal photographer Chris Jackson has access to the royal family like no other. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
He’s referring to the cancer diagnoses of the monarch and the Princess of Wales, which were announced to the public within weeks of each other in early 2024. The Princess Royal, too, was hospitalised for concussion after an incident with a horse, which she has no memory of.
The serious health battles came barely a year into the new King’s reign, which has been one of huge change for the monarchy.
In the four years since Charles III’s accession, the 1000-year old institution has been modernised. Some traditions have been scrapped for a more informal approach, there’s been greater transparency around royal finances, and the King’s scandal-plagued younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has finally been dealt with.
Jackson admits it has been a “difficult, challenging time for the royal family”.
The longtime Getty royal photographer spoke to nine.com.au when he was recently in Sydney to launch his book, Modern Majesty.
It is more than just a collection of photographs of the British royal family across the past two decades. Alongside many previously-unpublished images, Jackson provides commentary about the untold moments behind them.
The Princess of Wales, pictured at the coronation of King Charles, is among the most interesting royals to photograph Jackson says. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“A lot of my book is celebratory, it’s covering events that are very positive for the royal family, but it’s kind of unavoidable that there has been some challenges over the last couple of years,” Jackson says.
“One thing the book covers is not only how they got through those difficult times, but also how they bounced back. I’ll never forget those moments where they came back to work after that difficult time.”
Jackson points to the public return to official duties by the Princess of Wales at Trooping the Colour in 2024, three months after she had announced her cancer diagnosis to the world.
Catherine made her public return to royal duties at Trooping the Colour in 2024, just months after announcing her cancer diagnosis. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“[Seeing] the Princess of Wales on the balcony with her family, it really lifted the spirits of the nation, so that was very special to be following that and capturing photos.
“There was a particular moment where she looked across at Prince William, that was probably the photo of the day, and seeing her beaming out of the carriage as she went past the Queen Victoria Memorial was just so special.
“The public was very much behind her, and to see her returning to duties really gave a big uplift to everyone [who feels] like maybe they’ve been on that journey a little bit with her.”
Since marrying into the British royal family in 2011, Catherine has become one of the world’s most photographed women, much like the last royal to hold the Princess of Wales title before her: Diana.
“Photographing the Princess of Wales is amazing, she always looks fantastic,” Jackson says.
“There’s much said about her fashion, but of course it’s her advocacy and the great work she’s doing, working with the early years and things like that, that’s definitely a focus for her.
“To see her get down on the same level with children and interact with them in a really natural and engaging way is fantastic.
“It means the photos are very candid, very natural, very honest and very genuine and I think that’s lovely.”
Getting to know the “nuances” of the various working royals has led to Jackson capturing some of the most iconic images of the Windsors over the years.
“There are different personalities within the royal family, and one of the special things about being a royal photographer is that you get to know people very well,” he says.
Jackson was commissioned to take this photo of King Charles and Queen Camilla in Rome in celebration of their 20th wedding anniversary in 2025. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“You’re photographing a small group of people on a regular basis, and you get to know the nuances and the characters and how to photograph them. For example, King Charles – he’s got an incredible ability to connect with people very quickly.”
Jackson says the secret to getting the best photos is a mix of “preparation, technical knowledge, having the right equipment on the day [and] being in the right place at the right time”.
“But one of the things I love about royal photography is the element of luck that’s involved. You don’t have a lot of control over so many of these situations – the weather, the light, the time,” he continues.
“That makes it really fun, that element of the unknown. Some days it all comes together, and some days it doesn’t.”
Think of a major royal event and he has done it: Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot, Christmas at Sandringham, the monarch’s speech at the opening of parliament, state visits, births, marriages, deaths, the Braemar Games, milestone birthdays and the coronation of King Charles.
Jackson took, arguably, what has become the most iconic photograph from the coronation on May 6, 2023.
The cover of Modern Majesty features Jackson’s iconic photo of the king and queen, taken from the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the coronation. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
It was taken from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, from the perspective of King Charles and Queen Camilla as they waved to the thousands of people below lining The Mall.
The photo, not surprisingly, was chosen for the cover of Jackson’s book.
“The coronation, for me, was the biggest moment that I’ve experienced. Being there right behind the King and the Queen, literally about one metre away, as the crowds cheered and they waved with the crowns on.”
A photograph looking out from the balcony had never before been taken.
“It is great when the public get to see a little bit of what their perspective is and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, this isn’t a perspective we ever saw, for whatever reason,” he says.
“It was really special to be there, and it’s nice when you get that behind-the-scenes insight into these historical moments.
“I’ve been photographing the King and Queen for over 20 years now, and to be there in that moment that was clearly so special to them was amazing. It almost felt like I’d come full circle.”
Jackson took this photograph of Queen Elizabeth II at Sandringham House to mark Accession Day in 2022, beginning what would be Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
While Jackson doesn’t have a favourite royal to capture because “they’re all enjoyable in different ways”, he says the late Queen, who died in September 2022 after an historic 70-year reign, was “very special to photograph”.
“I just loved the fact she was just so incredibly iconic and, it is a cliché but she had this incredible presence.”
The Queen’s final three years on the throne saw the start of a period of upheaval within the monarchy, which King Charles is still dealing with.
Jackson has captured the British royals during their biggest moments including here at Windsor, two days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Getty
In 2019, the royal formerly known as Prince Andrew stepped back from public facing duties after giving an interview to the BBC about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Months later, he was banned from using the HRH styling as he was sued in a civil court, which ended in a multi-million financial settlement.
Late last year, King Charles stripped Andrew of his royal titles as Buckingham Palace announced he would be leaving Royal Lodge. The former Duke of York was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and was subsequently released under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have set themselves up as independent players outside of The Firm in California, six years after revealing plans to stop being working members of the family.
Jackson with King Charles inside Buckingham Palace in October 2023. Getty Images
Their coveted half-in, half-out approach that was rejected by Elizabeth II now appears to be unofficially in place, as demonstrated by their private working visit to Australia in April that blended commercial and charitable events.
Though Jackson’s book covers “the last 20 to 25 years of royal photography and moments”, Prince Harry and Meghan feature just once while Andrew is excluded altogether.
Jackson chooses his words carefully when asked about the absence of Andrew and the Sussexes.
“It’s very much a book on the working royal family,” he says.
“They’re the people I photograph on a daily basis, and it’s a group of people with different personalities working across different areas and different directions.
“I’ve really enjoyed photographing all the different members of the royal family and time moves on, history moves on and, you know, things change over the years.”
He points to monarch’s official birthday celebrations, Trooping the Colour, as being the perfect example of showing the changing monarchy over the decades.
Jackson was surprised at this photo, taken at Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“It is a great event to photograph the working members of the royal family on the balcony and over the years you see the children grow.
“Only recently we saw the royal family for Easter in Windsor Castle and looking at how some of the children have shot up is lovely.
“As a father [Jackson has two young sons], that’s really lovely to see the changes that happen over the years.”
Photographing the royal children can produce some of the most memorable, and unexpected, royal images.
Take Princess Charlotte’s 2015 christening at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham.
William and Catherine, and Prince George – who was about to turn two – arrived on foot, with Charlotte being pushed in a pram Elizabeth II used for two of her own children.
“The picture that stood out on the day for me was Prince George peeking, up on his tiptoes, into the pram,” Jackson says.
“That’s a great example of things you wouldn’t expect happening on the day, but that’s what makes royal photography so special.”
A little girl stole the show at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2022, making the Prince and Princess of Wales laugh. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Another unexpected moment came at the 2022 St Patrick’s Day parade when a toddler stole the show.
“She’s trying on one of the bearskin hats and that’s just a lovely little moment, the Prince and Princess of Wales are laughing and it comes together to make a lovely picture I never knew I would take when I went to that engagement.”
Jackson’s work has taken him around the world with the royals while he has also been commissioned to photograph the family in private for special occasions.
For King Charles’ 70th birthday in November 2018, Jackson took a series of portraits showing three generations: the now-King and his wife, his children Prince William and Prince Harry, their wives Catherine and Meghan, and his grandchildren at the time, George, Charlotte and Louis.
As many parents would know, getting children to look in the right direction at the camera can be a miracle, and Jackson asked a member of the royal household to dress up in a bear suit to stand behind him to get the shot.
Trooping the Colour, also known as the monarch’s birthday parade, is one of Jackson’s favourite events to capture. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“Sometimes you have to think out of the box a little bit, and the bear was definitely out of the box,” he says.
“I don’t think people really realised what [the children] were laughing at at the time, it was only a couple of years later I could say that it was a bear, I don’t think anyone would have believed it in the moment.”
Jackson knows he has a special job and access to the royal family very few people have.
“I am incredibly lucky to be in some of these amazing historical moments,” he says, “and one of the great things about covering the royal family is these feel good moments.
“You know, 99 per cent of what you photograph is an enjoyable event, something that’s positive, something that’s a celebration around the world.
“It is a huge privilege to do this job, to come to incredible places. The fact that I’ve been to Australia so many times… I will never take that for granted.”