Royal jubilee pictures unveiled

One of the portraits, taken at Buckingham Palace

An exhibition of photographs specially commissioned to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee has opened to the public at Windsor Castle.

Photographers from Britain and the Commonwealth were invited to take photographs of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during October to December 2001.

The photographers included Prince Andrew, Canadian rock star Bryan Adams, Lord Lichfield and celebrity photographer Rankin Waddell.

Adams, who took up photography relatively recently, was chosen to represent Canada because of his work with the Prince's Trust.

Adams is representing Canada at the exhibition

He has also lent his camera to other charitable causes in the past, including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Haven Trust, a breast cancer support centre in London.

Adams has compiled his portraits of famous women from Canada and Britain into books dedicated to the charities.

Eclectic

The Haven Trust's book includes photographs of actresses Vanessa Redgrave, Elizabeth Hurley and Joan Collins, food journalist Nigella Lawson and the Duchess of York.

The Canadian volume, entitled Made in Canada, includes photographs of musician Joni Mitchell, novelist Margaret Atwood, actresses Pamela Anderson and Kim Cattrall.

The list of photographers marking the jubilee is eclectic - and they also have differing views about their craft.

Last year, Lord Lichfield criticised Rankin Waddell's style.

"What people forget is that it's very easy as a photographer to experiment - that doesn't take skill," he said.

But celebrated photographer David Bailey included Rankin on a list of Britain's top 10 photographers he compiled last year.