Queen Elizabeth Hilariously Shuts Down Photographer Annie Leibovitz With Brutal Comeback in Resurfaced Video

The late Queen didn't respond well to being told to take her crown off.

Queen Elizabeth wears a green suit and matching hat and Annie Leibovitz wears a black and gray jacket
(Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II was known for her biting sense of humor and her occasionally brutal way with words. For instance, the late Queen allegedly once referred to former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as an idiot. She also reportedly had a mischievous side, and a cutting way of showing her disapproval. And judging by a resurfaced BBC video clip, the monarch wasn't afraid to defend what she was wearing, either.

In the 2007 video clip, photographer Annie Leibovitz is tasked with photographing the late Queen at Buckingham Palace. The former monarch can be seen wearing her Order of the Garter robes and a crown, which Leibovitz suggests may be too formal. "I think it will look better without the crown," the famous photographer tells the Queen (via the Express). "Could we try without the crown? It will look better... less dressy."

Unfortunately for Leibovitz, Elizabeth isn't on board with the suggestion to tone down her outfit. "Less dressy?" she asks. "What do you think this is?"

The Queen subsequently announces, "I am not changing anything. I've done enough dressing like this. Thank you very much."

The BBC ended up having to apologize for misleading viewers in the way they advertized the program. "The BBC and RDF Television, the producers of the BBC1 series A Year with the Queen, would like to clarify that the clips shown in a promotional trailer on July 11 were not intended to provide a full picture of what actually happened or of what will be shown in the final program," the apology explained (via the Express). "This was an important photoshoot prior to the Queen's visit to the United States. In this trailer, there is a sequence that implies that the Queen left a sitting prematurely. This was not the case and the actual sequence of events was misrepresented. The BBC would like to apologize to both the Queen and Annie Leibovitz for any upset this may have caused."

While clips of the Queen supposedly storming off from the photoshoot were taken out of context, it certainly seems as though it was perhaps unwise to tell the late monarch what to wear.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.