Queen Elizabeth graces cover of 'British Vogue' for the first time

The image was taken by her former late brother-in-law, Lord Snowdon

Queen Elizabeth II in the George IV State Diadem crown in 2019. An image of the monarch wearing the crown soon after acceding the throne features on the cover of 'British Vogue'. Getty Images

In celebration of her platinum jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II graces the cover of British Vogue for the first time in her 70-year reign.

With its April issue, the publication has paid tribute to the monarch with an image from 1957, five years after she acceded to the throne.

The cover image was taken by her former brother-in-law, the late Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was also known as Lord Snowdon following his marriage to the late Princess Margaret.

In the image, she is wearing the George IV State Diadem, a gold, silver and diamond crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV.

The regal headpiece is embossed with diamond bouquets of roses, thistles and shamrocks, the floral symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland.

"The April issue pays tribute to the Queen with a special edition cover. As Her Majesty becomes the first British monarch in history to celebrate a platinum jubilee, the April issue explores Vogue's unique relationship with the royal, and features rarely seen images from the archive at Vogue House," the publication said of the cover image, which will be available from March 29.

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful reflected on the role of the monarchy in his monthly letter for the magazine.

"When I received my OBE for services to diversity in fashion several years ago, I thought carefully about what the decision to accept it would mean.

“Ultimately, I saw an ancient institution that was setting about on a programme of change and if they had noticed and wanted to recognise my work as something worth spotlighting, given the fact my endeavours were all about spotlighting under-represented people, too, then I felt comfortable — keen, even — to engage.”

The April issue has a twin cover, with the same "Platinum Queen" cover line, which features The Queen's Gambit actress, Anya Taylor-Joy.

On that cover, Taylor-Joy is wearing a replica of the George IV State Diadem for "her own fantasy royal dress-up moment."

This is not Queen Elizabeth's first magazine cover. She graced the cover of Tatler as a baby in July 1927, sharing it with her mother. She has also been featured on Time, Vanity Fair and Punch in the past.

In 2016, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was featured on the cover of British Vogue and, in 2019, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was invited to serve as guest editor for the publication.

Look back at Queen Elizabeth II's colour-blocked style highlights: