His joyful portrait of Queen Elizabeth, beaming at the camera and wearing bright pink lipstick, superimposed against the Union Flag, became one of the defining images of our much-missed monarch.
Photographer Rankin is, however, deeply saddened by the furore over the picture of the Princess of Wales and her three children published on Mothering Sunday.
Catherine felt the need to apologise for ‘editing’ the photograph taken by her husband, Prince William, after some of the world’s biggest picture agencies were forced to ‘kill’ the image amid fears it had been digitally ‘manipulated’.
Rankin says Catherine should not be criticised for tampering with the portrait. ‘Give her a f***ing break,’ he tells me. ‘She was in hospital two months ago [undergoing planned abdominal surgery].’
Her apology was ‘not necessary’, he insists, because her portrait was ‘a personal photo she’s put out for Mother’s Day’. He says: ‘It’s only because people think we own her that we have these criticisms of her.’
Photographer Rankin (pictured) is deeply saddened by the furore over the picture of the Princess of Wales and her three children published on Mothering Sunday
Catherine felt the need to apologise for ‘editing’ the photograph taken by her husband, Prince William , after some of the world’s biggest picture agencies were forced to ‘kill’ the image amid fears it had been digitally ‘manipulated’
The changes she made were, he suspects, to present the couple’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in the best possible light.
Speaking at the private view of his portraits, Rankin: Sound Off collection, at Tin Man Art gallery in South Kensington, west London, he says: ‘From my personal perspective, it looked like they just put pictures together, because when you get kids, it’s very hard – they move around a lot.
‘When you’re shooting kids, you have to make it fun for them, you have to engage them and you have to make it fast. If you’re not a professional, you don’t do any of that.’
Having captured the late Queen in 2002, to mark her Golden Jubilee, when she was 75, Rankin was summoned by King Charles to Clarence House last year as he prepared to turn 75 himself.
The black-and-white close-up, which showed him with a twinkle in his eye, appeared on the cover of the Big Issue magazine.
Have I Got News For You’s Paul Merton won’t be receiving any bulletins via his smartphone.
‘I don’t have a mobile,’ the comedian says. ‘People can email me. I’m not a 24-hour plumber, so I don’t get urgent calls saying, ‘I’m up to my neck in water — can you get to Tunbridge Wells in 40 minutes’.’
Have I Got News For You’s Paul Merton (pictured) won’t be receiving any bulletins via his smartphone
Savannah blasts Lily’s ‘kids ruined my career’ claim
Pop singer Lily Allen’s comment that having children ‘ruined’ her career has upset fashion designer Savannah Miller.
‘I find it absolutely abhorrent that anyone can suggest it is as binary as: you can have a career or you can have children,’ she fumes.
‘Frankly, that messaging is damaging to our sons, to our daughters and to everybody.’
Savannah, 45, who has three children with ex-husband Nick Skinner, adds: ‘Sacrifices do have to be made, but I was there, I was reading stories, wiping bums.
‘I give my children absolutely everything I have and I will continue to do that until my dying day because they are my reason for living.’
Pop singer Lily Allen’s (pictured) comment that having children ‘ruined’ her career has upset fashion designer Savannah Miller
‘I find it absolutely abhorrent that anyone can suggest it is as binary as: you can have a career or you can have children,’ Savannah Miller (pictured) fumes
Suits you. . . Trinny’s classic Cindy styling
Having made her name as co-host of the popular BBC television show What Not To Wear, Trinny Woodall knows a thing or two about dramatic makeovers.
And the stylist-turned-beauty entrepreneur is almost unrecognisable with her new androgynous look.
Woodall, 60, showed off her black Valentino suit and tie outfit, with her hair slicked back, in a video online. She explains that it’s a tribute to one of supermodel Cindy Crawford’s memorable looks from the 1990s.
‘We all have our favourite style moments from the Nineties, and for me, this structured, Cindy Crawford-inspired suit moment is up there with the best,’ she says.
Having made her name as co-host of the popular BBC television show What Not To Wear, Trinny Woodall (pictured) knows a thing or two about dramatic makeovers
Woodall, 60, showed off her black Valentino suit and tie outfit, with her hair slicked back, in a video online. She explains that it’s a tribute to one of supermodel Cindy Crawford’s (pictured) memorable looks from the 1990s
Senior male civil servants once dressed soberly, favouring staid white shirts to signal how dependable they were. No more.
A fashion atrocity was spotted this week when George Shirley, new director of asylum operations at the Home Office, appeared at a parliamentary hearing.
Sitting alongside his formally attired minister, Shirley was wearing a blue floral shirt better suited to an evening out at a nightclub.
A fashion atrocity was spotted this week when George Shirley (pictured), new director of asylum operations at the Home Office, appeared at a parliamentary hearing
Cocaine quest for a duchess
The Duchess of Northumberland has a cocaine problem. Jane Percy, as she is known, is not addicted to the drug but is struggling to secure coca seeds for her specially licensed Poison Garden at Alnwick, her husband’s ancestral seat.
But sourcing specimens has proven more challenging than anticipated.
Having continuously reached out to British embassies in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Columbia, the attempts at sourcing the seeds to date have proved futile.
‘We run a drugs education programme which provides a unique opportunity to think about the plants that drugs come from and the dangers those drugs present.
‘Unfortunately, we are missing the part of the story which explains the pain and suffering in the countries where coca is grown and cocaine is processed.’
The Duchess of Northumberland (pictured right) has a cocaine problem. Jane Percy, as she is known, is not addicted to the drug but is struggling to secure coca seeds for her specially licensed Poison Garden at Alnwick, her husband’s ancestral seat
I’m not suggesting BBC radio is dull, but even one of its presenters admits she nodded off – in the middle of a live broadcast.
BBC Radio 5 Live’s Lisa McCormick says: ‘I’m on between 1am and 5am and I fell asleep on air. I was properly asleep, not just a little doze. I was probably snoring – it was bad.’
She adds: ‘I got woken up by somebody next door shouting my name. There was a piece of audio playing, so it was OK.’
BBC Radio 5 Live’s Lisa McCormick (pictured) says: ‘I’m on between 1am and 5am and I fell asleep on air. I was properly asleep, not just a little doze. I was probably snoring – it was bad’
Forget the row over the Eton v Harrow cricket match, whose future at Lord’s is the subject of furious debate.
Pupils at Harrow certainly have – for today at least. I can disclose that they’ll all be at Twickenham – 15 on the pitch and the rest howling support from the stands.
‘School is cancelled for the day,’ explains master of rugby James Melville. ‘Everyone is buzzing. We’ll have 850 boys in full voice.’
Facing them in the Continental Tyres Schools Cup final are Kirkham Grammar School from Lancashire, whose alumni include former England scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth.
Pupils at Harrow certainly have – for today at least. I can disclose that they’ll all be at Twickenham (pictured)– 15 on the pitch and the rest howling support from the stands
Sacre bleu! Fred flies the flag
Ooh la la! Fred Sirieix, the charming maitre d’ on Channel 4 show First Dates, has been demonstrating his love of his homeland while on holiday in the West Indies.
In online photos from Jamaica, the Frenchman, 52, posed in a pair of trunks emblazoned with the tricolore flag.
He says he faced a dilemma over whether to wear those or a pair with the Jamaican flag. ‘Which one would you wear?’ he asks his fans.