Claims Queen hated her hands and wouldn't have them photographed

A celebrity photographer says Queen Elizabeth II refused to have her hands photographed. Photo / AP

Queen Elizabeth II didn't like her hands and refused to pose with a sword, celebrity photographer Rankin has revealed.

John Rankin Waddell said Her Majesty cited a dislike of her hands as a "get out" when he had tried to make her pose with a sword for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

He told the Tea with Twiggy podcast: "I was like, 'I really want to photograph you holding the sword', and she said, 'I don't like my hands'. [I thought] that's the best 'get out' for holding the sword."

Despite her resistance, Rankin, 56, who has also worked with Kate Moss, Madonna and David Bowie, was later contacted by the Palace to let him know the photo he took was one of their favourites - because she was smiling so much.

He added: "I'm probably not supposed to say that [she disliked her hands], but what I loved about her is she's so smart and everything in response that she was saying had this amazing twist to it.

"It was just really, really brilliant. I loved it - I spent five minutes with her, so I don't know her intimately."

Queen Elizabeth's hands were almost always hidden as she chose to wear gloves when carrying out her royal duties.

Her glove maker since the 1940s - Cornelia James - previously said the accessory was "part of her style", adding: "The mind's eye picture of the Queen is the white-gloved hand waving."

Queen Elizabeth always chose to wear gloves when carrying out her royal duties. Photo / Warren Buckland for Hawke's Bay Today

Rankin added that before the shoot, he had seen the Queen laughing and joking with a footman - something he wanted his portrait to capture.

He added: "I was in the throne room and she was walking down this corridor and I could see her and the footman walking and they were both laughing, just cracking up and I was like 'that's what I want'. So that was in my head the whole time."

He also revealed the Queen poked fun at him while he took her portrait, she brought a "wave of power" into the room with her and that he was "tongue-tied" after meeting her.

He said: "I got a really amazing note where the curator said my photograph of her is one of their favourites - which I think means the Palace's favourite - because she's really laughing in my picture."

Describing the portrait during the interview which was recorded before the Queen's death, the Glasgow-born father-of-one told the podcast: "Of course she came in and this wave of empowerment washes over you.

"I've never felt that aura and she was just so funny from the minute she walked in."