Photographer Blake Ezra has been lucky enough to shoot everyone from Hollywood greats such as Robert de Niro to Prime Ministers and the Chief Rabbi. But it is his first picture of the Queen which he considers one of the greatest days of his professional life.

Blake, now 39, was just a couple of weeks into his first job as a press journalist in the UK when he was asked to cover an opening of a new shopping centre wing in Windsor. The result was the start of a long-term fascination with covering the royals which has seen him get up close to King Charles as well as the Queen.

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The Queen in 2008

"When you get to these events you have no idea what will unfold and what pictures you will end up with – and there are a million things which could go wrong," says Blake of his first time photographing the Queen 14 years ago.

"I was there with a few other press photographers, and I just kept shooting and shooting because you never know what will be THE shot. There are so many different factors – is someone going to stand in your way, is the sun going to come out and ruin the exposure, will the Queen even look in your direction?

"But then after she was gone, I went through the photographs to see what I had and there was a photo of the Queen looking straight down the lens right towards me – straight down the barrel of the camera.

"I had a rush like I’ve never experienced before; it was all so surreal. It was like all the stars had aligned; there was the most famous woman in the world look straight at me."

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Then Prince Charles with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (Blake Ezra)

Since then, he photographed the Queen nearly a dozen times and loved the variety of pictures he could get from this one significant figure. "Just knowing you are going to photograph the Queen that day means you would wake up with a tingle of excitement," he recalls. "When you are shooting a figure like the Queen you are watching them so intently – of course, wherever she is, she is the most important person in the room. You don’t take your eyes off her.

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Then Prince Charles at a Yavneh event in 2017 (Blake Ezra)

"The thing that really struck me is that even though she spent her entire life in the spotlight her face was so expressive; photographing the Queen just for a few minutes you were likely to get an entire range of expression from mischievous to grumpy to roaring with laughter. It’s amazing.

"One favourite photograph is one I took of her at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Once again, she was looking straight down the camera but this time she looked disgruntled; like a grumpy old lady – which I think was something to do with the horses.

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The Queen at the Windsor Horse show 2010 (Blake Ezra)

"When it came to people, she always approached things in an enthusiastic manner; she never, ever gave the sense that it was purely duty. I had the chance to see that up close when I met her at an event for the Jewish community that I was part of. At that time I was a BBYO leader and she seemed fascinated to find out the differences between all the Jewish youth movements. She spent her life doing so many meets and greets – it was her duty but she never let on that she didn’t love what she was doing every moment."

Blake has photographed King Charles even more frequently than the Queen and says there are many similarities between them but also wonders whether Charles will be a more impulsive monarch.

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Then Princes Charles and Camilla at Royal Ascot 2009 (Blake Ezra)

"I think they are more similar than anyone would imagine," he says. "Like the Queen, Charles has a very expressive face. While the Queen had a mischievous look and a glint in her eye, Charles is very jovial. He has a big laugh that is really inviting. Like his mother he can change the mood in a room with his energy – he can lift a mood with a laugh or be sombre when things need to be. Like his mother he is a master at putting people feel at ease; it is so impressive to watch it in action."

Blake was the official photographer at the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018 and at one point was in the Royal Box with the then Prince Charles. "I am not sure I will ever have an incredible experience like that again,"he says.

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King Charles (Blake Ezra)

But just as memorable was photographing the King on a trip to World Jewish Relief in April this year to find out about the charity’s work in Ukraine. "Not only did he acknowledge everyone in the room, who included refugees from Ukraine, but he was incredibly knowledgeable about the charity’s activities and the mechanics of the situation on the ground in Ukraine. He was really amazing.

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King Charles at the World Jewish Relief in 2022 (Blake Ezra)

"But it was almost what happened at the end of the official visit which was the most surprising. Outside of the centre, a small group had gathered to wave at him and instead of getting in his car he went to talk to them. I think he, like the Queen, is very aware that when people talk to him it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that people will relish. He shook hands with everyone he could – even though it wasn’t something anyone expected. We might see some more impromptu walkabouts – I think he may be more spontaneous than the Queen. It is going to be very interesting to watch and, of course, to shoot."