Queen's photographer reveals 'nightmare' experience at Windsor—'I was huffing and puffing'

The Queen's photographer has shared his 'nightmare' experience while working at Windsor Home Park, which had him chasing after Her Majesty in a frenzied panic. 

• The Queen's photographer has detailed his 'nightmare' ordeal while shooting the monarch and her eldest son, Prince William, at Windsor Castle earlier this year. 
• Chris Jackson has worked as Royal Family's official photographer for over 20 years, but that doesn't mean he always gets it right. 
• In other royal news, Prince William ditches royal tradition as 'leveller' gesture.
  

The Queen's personal photographer has admitted he was left 'huffing and puffing' at a royal event on the grounds of Windsor Castle, after making a harmless mistake shooting Her Majesty. 

Chris Jackson has worked as the Royal Family's official photographer now for over 20 years, accompanying them on overseas tours and attending their countless domestic engagements. With two decades of experience of capturing Britain's most famous clan, the 41-year-old has accumulated a library's worth of stories about the 'behind-the-scenes' Queen—along with countless moments that don't make it on camera. 

In a new interview for the Royal Family Youtube Channel, Chris shared one of the rather "funny" anecdotes from his new book, 'Elizabeth II: A Queen for Our Time'. 

The British lensman candidly described the ordeal of him blundering an assignment at an event at Windsor Castle, in which he had been tasked to lead the Queen and Prince Charles' convoy across the 13-acre estate in his own car. Despite having done the route once before, Chris wasn't able to remember the correct directions and found himself struggling at the wheel. 

"I wasn't 100% sure of which entrance I was meant to be going in and things like that," he recalled. "So, I jumped in my car and drove around the Queen's car and I couldn't remember if it was right or left. I was pretty sure, basically, almost 100% sure that it was left, but when you're so nervous, things make you doubt what you actually know in your mind to be correct." 

Trusting his instincts, Chris made a left turn—only to realize that Her Majesty had cheekily overtaken him. 

"As I was pulling into the front of Frogmore House, where we were taking the photograph, the Queen whizzed past me around the back," he said. "I had to jump out of my car and grab all my equipment and sprint around the back of the house."

With tardiness an absolute no-no when working with the Queen, Chris knew he had to move quickly to avoid being late. 

"It was a good couple hundred of meters and obviously Covid times, I had a face mask on, I was like huffing and puffing. Got there for a photograph, but it was a bit of a nightmare."