WHETHER she’s in her brogues and headscarf or wearing the crown jewels, the Queen rarely takes a bad photograph – which is just as well when you happen to be one of the most famous women in the world!

Living your life in front of the lens is never going to be easy, but any negative exposure she has experienced over the years has usually been a result of other members of the Firm behaving badly.

Now a new photographic biography of Britain’s best-loved monarch, containing the work of around 20 internationally renowned photographers, is due to be published later this month.

This latest collection by historian Philip Ziegler includes formal studio poses from her first official portrait as a baby in 1926 to a portrait taken earlier this year by Lord Snowdon.

Pictorially it provides an intriguing insight into what life is like in the royal household.

One black and white photograph taken in January 1927 shows baby Princess Elizabeth sitting beside a photograph of her mother who has just set off on a six-month trip to the other side of the world with the Duke of York.

It’s a poignant snapshot of a world where duty takes precedence over sentiment.

The large, glossy tome is already being hailed as an important chronological record of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Former royal dressmaker Alison Pordum, of Talbot Woods in Bournemouth, designed outfits for the Queen and other members of the royal household for the best part of ten years.

In an interview with the Echo earlier this year Alison said her ex-boss was amazing: “I can’t tell you how nice she is. I met her many times over the years and she was always very friendly and approachable. She was always the same, absolutely lovely.”