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Queen Elizabeth graces Vanity Fair cover to commemorate 90th birthday

By Marilyn Malara
Queen Elizabeth II meets guests at the British Garden at Hanover Square in New York, Tuesday, July 6, 2010. The Queen was recently photographed by Annie Leibovitz in honor of her 90th birthday. File Photo by Henny Ray Abrams/UPI
1 of 2 | Queen Elizabeth II meets guests at the British Garden at Hanover Square in New York, Tuesday, July 6, 2010. The Queen was recently photographed by Annie Leibovitz in honor of her 90th birthday. File Photo by Henny Ray Abrams/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, June 1 (UPI) -- Photographer Annie Leibovitz captured Queen Elizabeth at her home in Windsor Castle to honor the royal's 90th birthday.

The Queen graces the cover of Vanity Fair's latest issue alongside her corgis and "dorgis," an image that was her idea, Leibovitz said.

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"The most moving, important thing about this shoot is that these were all her ideas," the photographer said of the British monarch. "She wanted to be photographed with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; her daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal; and her corgis."

"I was told how relaxed she was at Windsor, and it was really true," she added of her experience on the shoot, which took place in April. "You get the sense of how at peace she was with herself, and very much enthralled with her family."

Leibovitz's portraits include two outdoor shots of the Queen with her beloved dogs, a portrait of her sitting with her sister, a comfortable photo of her with husband of 69 years Prince Philip in a sitting room, and a group shot with all her grandchildren and great grand children, including Princess Charlotte and Prince George.

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Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 90th birthday in April with a cake baked by Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain. She was also later paid a visit by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who gifted the Queen with a photo album featuring moments from previous visits with U.S. Presidents and first ladies.

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