Over the past year, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has met with Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Venus and Serena Williams. Which raises the question: How difficult is it to score a photo op with the House of Windsor? Apparently not very. The Queen is one of the most photographed women in the world. From official state visits with dignitaries and diplomats to the Royal Variety Performance—an annual gala of entertainment attended by the Royal Family—to spot checks of BlackBerry factories, the queen is never far from the cameras.
In her 58-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II has been photographed alongside the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and Pope John Paul II, as well as Barry Manilow, James Blunt, and Billy, the Welsh regimental goat. Her ubiquity is perhaps only outmatched by the demand for face time with her. After Michael Jackson’s death, it was reported that the pop icon had longed to meet with the queen in the hopes of attaining knighthood. (He remained a lowly king of pop, though he had met the queen earlier in his life, as a member of the Jackson 5.) Britney Spears was mocked mercilessly for her plans to not-so-subtly slip in to Buckingham Palace on the off-chance the queen was around. (It didn’t work out.)
Click here for a slide show of the surprisingly diverse and sometimes bizarre people who have met her majesty the queen.
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