Nine portraits of the Queen aged 37 taken in 1963 by court photographer Anthony Buckley for Canadian bank notes have emerged on sale for £3,000

• Portraits taken by Anthony Buckley in 1963 capture the 37-year-old monarch
• Images, in which Queen wears diamond tiara, adopted into Canadian currency
• The nine small portraits were donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1995 

A set of nine portrait photographs of the Queen which were used for Canadian bank notes have emerged on sale for £3,000.

The images, taken by court photographer Anthony Buckley in 1963, capture the 37-year-old monarch as she poses in a diamond tiara with a matching necklace and earrings.

The photographs were later adopted into the design of Canadian currency.

Mr Buckley took a range of images with the Queen, now 93, posed from left to right so he had the greatest chance of one of his nine images being approved.  

The portraits, taken by court photographer Anthony Buckley in 1963, capture the 37-year-old monarch as she poses in a diamond tiara with a matching necklace and earrings

The portraits were then presented to the Security Printers and the Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations, which distributed images of the monarch for bank notes, coins and postage stamps.

The photographs, which each measure 8ins by 10ins, were donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1995.

Mr Buckley had a studio on Grosvenor Street in London in the 1960s.

Earlier in his career, he worked with Dorothy Wilding, who took the original photo of the Queen which was used for postage stamps from 1952 to 1967.

Mr Buckley took a range of images with the Queen, now 93, posed from left to right so he had the greatest chance of one of his nine images being approved

The nine portraits are being sold by a private collection with auctioneer William George & Co, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

The nine portraits are being sold by a private collection with auctioneer William George & Co, in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Alex McCormick, specialist at William George & Co, said: ‘The pictures were used by photographers who worked with Security Printers and The Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations.

‘They were both responsible for supplying images for use by British Commonwealth countries who wanted images of Queen Elizabeth for banknotes, coins and postage stamps.

‘They are important and interesting as it is rare that these pictures, which were used for official purposes, come on the market.

Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Commonweath Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9

‘Anthony Buckley’s archive was donated to the National Portrait Gallery in 1995 after he passed on.

‘Buckley took nine different photographs as he wanted to achieve the best possible coverage Elizabeth, recognising that, if successful, the chosen image would have widespread and international usage.

‘The different angles and positions were all taken at a single photo shoot and these examples were the best which were kept and saved once the Queen had approved this final group of images.

‘This is probably one of a handful of examples of Buckley’s prowess in private hands.’

The online sale ends on April 23. 

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