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Who was Lord Lichfield?
Patrick Lichfield was probably best known as a cousin of the Queen and
the photographer who took the portraits for the wedding of Charles and
Diana in 1981. However, there was more to Patrick Lichfield than his
proximity to the royal family. Thomas Patrick John Anson, 5th Earl of
Lichfield, was born on the 25th of April 1939. His parents were William,
Viscount Anson and Princess Georg of Denmark, the former Anne Bowes-Lyon,
daughter of John Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mother's brother. Although
he bore the title of the Earl of Lichfield, when he was working he
preferred to be called plain 'Patrick'.
Educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, he served as a lieutenant in the
Grenadier Guards before becoming a photographer. Early in his career, he
found an increasing demand for editorial work in national newspapers and
Life and Queen Magazine. His biggest break came when the legendary Diana
Vreeland gave him a 5-year contract with Vogue magazine. He worked in
numerous advertising campaigns including, from 1978, the prestigious
Unipart calendar.
He took up photography at the age of six, taking his first picture of
the Queen when he was playing in a cricket match against Eton. These
pictures are unlikely to be published as, shortly after he took those
photos, his camera was confiscated by the headmaster. Undeterred, his
first official royal sitting was with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in
1967, thus beginning a working relationship with the royal family that
continued until not long before his unexpected death.
His royal portfolio ranged from the 1971 group photograph of 26 members
of the royal family, the Silver Wedding portrait of the Queen and Prince
Philip, to an intimate photograph of Prince Charles with his young
cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones at Balmoral. His most recent
commission was a portrait of the Queen for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
He published numerous books on photography and his work has been
exhibited worldwide. He was awarded Fellowships from the British
Institute of Professional Photographers and The Royal Photographic
Society.
Patrick Lichfield married Lady Leonora Grosvenor (eldest daughter of the
5th Duke of Westminster) in 1975 and they were divorced in 1986. The
marriage produced three children, Lady Rose (born 1976), Thomas,
Viscount Anson (born 1978), and Lady Eloise (born 1981).
It was announced on the afternoon of Thursday 10th November 2005 that
this great name in royal photography had suffered a stroke whilst
visiting friends. He was duly taken to the Stroke Unit at the John
Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but, surrounded by his family, died at 4am
the following morning.
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