1980’s British Celebrities

“While photographing the Royal Family was my main focus, celebrities would often attend film premieres, polo tournaments and other events. Some of them were (and still are) world famous– Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford from rock supergroup, Genesis, while others’ stars have faded over the years to be largely forgotten in the 2020’s.

“I’ve never been a starry-eyed fan so my reaction to these stars often went from indifference to mild interest, though there was a certain thrill in photographing someone whose musical or acting abilities I admired, or a Beatle (three times). When I photographed Duran Duran at the royal premiere of the James Bond film, A View to a Kill, I was frustrated by the screaming girls trying to climb over my back to reach their heartthrobs– it was pandemonium. But it was all in good fun, and the atmosphere was great.

“I’ve only posted a small handful of these images- film premieres brought out the most celebrities, but it was always dark and there would be such a commotion that it was hard to get good pictures. But the best shots came from the polo tournaments, specially the Cartier International at the end of every July. Ringo and his wife Barbara Bach would always be there, as would actress Jane Seymour, who stopped to pose for me more than once.