The Royal Family know the power of a picture - and often used it to win sympathy or support. And as some of the most photographed people on the planet, other famous pictures have gone down in history whether they have wanted them to or not. Jennie Bond was in India with Charles and Diana when one of the most legendary photos was taken - Diana sitting alone in front of the Taj Mahal.
She says: “There were many, many rumours that by then that the marriage was in trouble, but but the palace kept telling us they weren’t true, everything was fine and this fairy tale of a marriage that was still together. “So it was a day in which they were on separate engagements. Diana came out and sat by herself alone on this marble bench in front of this monument to beauty. She allowed us to take quite lengthy footage of her sitting there. It was the perfect image of woman deserted, saying my marriage is over.
“Afterwards we asked her what she thought of it, and she said, ‘It’s so healing’ but she wouldn’t elaborate. But I think it was undoubtedly Diana’s coded message of saying, you know, I’m hurting here. “Diana certainly knew the power of a good photo. She was brilliant at that. And that was one of the instances when a picture was worth a thousand words.”.
Perhaps one of the most enduring images of Queen Elizabeth is her skit with James Bond, aka Daniel Craig, during the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, when the whole world saw something of her sense of humour. Jennie remembers: “Everyone always thought that the late Queen was rather a cold fish, probably didn’t have a sense of humour.
