Queen Elizabeth II never wanted to be photographed with…

Queen Elizabeth II: “I’ve never felt that aura and she was just so funny from the minute she walked in," the photographer said.

Glaswegian-born photographer Rankin, who has worked with David Bowie, Kate Moss and Madonna, spoke about his experience with late monarch Queen Elizabeth II saying that as soon as she entered the room a “wave of empowerment washes over you.”

Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace balcony. (AFP File)

“I’ve never felt that aura and she was just so funny from the minute she walked in," the photographer said.

But the photographer added a strange habit of Queen Elizabeth II saying that the Queen disliked her hands and never wanted them to be photographed.

“I was like, ‘I really want to photograph you holding the sword,’ and she said, ‘I don’t like my hands.’ [I thought] that’s the best ‘get out’ for holding the sword," the photographer said.

“I’m probably not supposed to say that [she disliked her hands], but what I loved about her is she’s so smart and everything in response that she was saying had this amazing twist to it," the photographer added.

“It was just really, really brilliant. I loved it — I spent five minutes with her, so I don’t know her intimately," the photographer further said.

Rankin said that he was later contacted by Buckingham Palace and was told his portrait of Her Majesty was their favourite.

“I got a really amazing note where the curator said my photograph of her is one of their favourites - which I think means the Palace’s favourite - because she's really laughing in my picture," the photographer said.

“I was in the throne room and she was walking down this corridor and I could see her and the footman walking. They were both laughing, just cracking up, and I was like, ‘That’s what I want.’ So that was in my head the whole time," the photographer added.