Patrick Lichfield:

The Earl of Lichfield DL FBIPP FRPS, or Patrick Lichfield as he likes to be known professionally, first took to the camera at the age of six. His first pictures of The Queen were taken when he was playing in a cricket match against Eton - and promptly confiscated by an officious monitor.

After seven years as a regular soldier at Sandhurst and in the Grenadier Guards he left to become, for the next three years, an assistant in a commercial London studio, working mainly as a darkroom technician.

After starting on his own in the early sixties he found an increasing demand for editorial work, most immediately Life and Queen Magazine and many national daily newspapers. His greatest break came when he was summoned by Diana Vreeland, the doyenne of Fashion Editors, and given a five year contract with American Vogue.

Hard on the heels of editorial work came advertising commissions including fashion, automobile, tobacco, cosmetic, airline, pharmaceutical and other accounts, most notable of which were his associations with Burberry's and Olympus Cameras, whose equipment he uses. More recently he has been commissioned to work for the British Tourist Authority, fulfilling both photographic and ambassadorial roles.

In July 1981 he was appointed official photographer at the wedding of his cousin Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and the resulting photographs, refreshingly informal, were published around the world.

Since 1978 he has undertaken the prestigious Unipart Calendar, shot in a number of exotic locations worldwide. Each year sees extensive travel and generally about a quarter of a million miles flown. He has photographed every Royal Family in Europe and many of the world's most beautiful women and has produced books on both these subjects.

He has been awarded Fellowships of both The British Institute of Professional Photographers and The Royal Photographic Society and is a Freeman of the City of London and a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Staffordshire.

He has many business interests including a number of restaurants over the years. He also holds directorships in The Really Useful Shop, Photographic Records Limited and Robin Proctor Design Consultancy Limited. He has an active interest in the community and businesses of his home city of Lichfield. Wood's of Windsor have worked with him to create Lichfield Fragrance which retails both in the UK and abroad and William Grant have also produced Lichfield Gin for international distribution. A number of national and local charities are supported by his Patronage.