Arthur Edwards' Magical Memories: The Greatest Royal Photographs of All Time

Product Information

Arthur Edwards has been the Sun's Royal Photographer for over 45 years; the longest-serving of any newspaper. Originally from the East End of London, he is the man behind the most iconic photographs of the most famous family in the world. With commensurate skill and unprecedented access, he has captured the candid moments when protocol is put aside, revealing the true personalities behind the Crown. A breathtaking collection of photographs capturing the modern British monarchy as never before seen, taken by the Royal photographer for the The Sun (UK) who has covered them for nearly half a century.

Arthur Edwards was the only photographer who travelled with Princess Diana to the Red Fort in India. Once, I was on a plane with the King. We were about to land in some country, and I said, ‘The price of this job is huge for you. Your life is programmed, you’ve got to be fully briefed, you have crowds looking at you.’ He said, ‘That’s the price you pay for the privilege. It’s duty. Duty, duty, duty.’”Edwards has been the Sun’s royal photographer since 1975; the longest serving of any newspaper. He has had unique access to the royal family throughout that time and has photographed King Charles III for 50 years.

It is perhaps because of his affection and admiration for King Charles and Camilla that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are not among his favorite royals. In the interview with Stuff, the photographer is said to have used words such as “nasty” and “treacherous” to describe Prince Harry’s actions. Edwards says he doesn’t understand how the young man who was once the most popular member of the British royal family has now turned himself into “the most despised.” He says he also had a pleasant relationship with Harry. Indeed, he watched him grow up, before he left with his family for the United States, made the controversial Netflix documentary with his wife, and penned Spare: “In Africa once, we sat down after a long day and he offered to make me a cup of tea,” he tells Stuff. “He told me about why he was so excited about his charity work, and why it was so meaningful to him. He was a lovely guy. Now, his family won’t talk to him, because anything they say could end up in another book.” Around midnight on an August evening in 1997, Edwards was heading home from a wedding when he received a call from The Sun. Diana had been in a car accident in Paris. As the night wore on, he learnt that the Princess’ companion, Dodi Fayed, had not survived. HarperNonFiction has bagged a photographic history of the royal family by the Sun’s royal photographer Arthur Edwards.In his book, Harry explains that he grew up as a traumatised child trapped inside a family business. Is it possible that he simply played the role of the charming prince – a role he felt duty-bound to perform in public – while suffering in private? At 86, Arthur Edwards is still active and refuses to retire. His next assignment as a photographer will be a first even for a veteran royal photographer like him: namely, a coronation. He’d say, ‘I didn’t like that picture you did, Arthur’, or ‘So-and-so got this quote wrong’. But he said, ‘I always try to give you guys good pictures’. After a lifetime of work experience, Charles will enjoy his coronation in May. While Edwards doesn’t know where he will be positioned on the day, his only wish is to photograph the King wearing his crown. The British media intruded on royal family holidays, where they often posed for photographers, hoping they would then be left alone.