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Over the course of 30 years as a British royal photographer, Ian Jones captured countless images of Queen Elizabeth II from across the United Kingdom and around the world. One of his most memorable photographs was snapped specifically for Canadians.

In 2012, Jones was invited to Buckingham Palace to take a photograph of Her Majesty for the Bank of Canada’s new $20 bill.

“To be commissioned by the queen to take the photograph of her for the Canadian banknote was such a great honour,” Jones said.

But the photoshoot didn’t go according to plan.

Ahead of the monarch’s arrival, Jones and his assistant spent hours preparing the room, perfecting the lighting and the backdrop. But as the queen walked in and took her seat, Jones realised he’d overlooked one critical detail: her office chair was much too tall.

“The chair I had chosen was set at a height for my assistant, who was six-foot-one, and the queen isn’t six-foot-one,” he said.

“So when she sat down in the chair, her toes just about touched the floor. And she did a little skip around,” Jones told Global News, while reenacting the queen gleefully spinning herself in circles on the chair.

“She thought it was absolutely hilarious. A bit like a child might do on an office chair. But what it did prompt was a wonderful glint and a smile. And that really set the tone for the portrait session.”