Portrait of Elizabeth II (Freud)

The painting depicts Queen Elizabeth II wearing a blue day dress with "ropes of pearl" and the Diamond Diadem. She wore the diadem for the portrait at Freud's request. Freud decided to include the Diamond Diadem after he had begun work on the portrait, requiring him to extend the canvas by . == Background ==

Elizabeth had previously appointed Freud a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 1983, and a member of the Order of Merit (OM) in 1993. In the mid-1990s Elizabeth's private secretary, Robert Fellowes, approached Freud to ask him to paint Elizabeth. Freud finally agreed in 1999. Freud had painted Fellowes in 1999, with the pair having become friends through the negotiations for Elizabeth's portrait. Freud later said that attempting to paint a face as recognisable as Elizabeth's was as challenging as "a polar expedition". He painted the portrait in the Friary Court picture conservation studio of the Royal Collection at St James's Palace. Freud and Elizabeth spent a great deal of time talking about their mutual love of horse racing. It was given to the gallery as a gift by John Morton Morris. ==Ownership==

It was reported in 2001 that the painting would be part of the Royal Collection as a gift from Freud, but was subsequently revealed in 2022 to have been a gift from Freud personally to Elizabeth and remained her personal property. It is unclear whether the portrait became part of the Royal Collection or was inherited by her son King Charles III upon Elizabeth's death in 2022. ==Reception==

BBC News wrote that the portrait had "divided both the press and art critics" and that Freud had "depicted the Queen with his characteristic naturalism". The BBC described Elizabeth as "[wearing] a severe expression, and her features are rendered heavily". ==References==