The history behind the Queen's hologram

• Wesley Smith has this report.

One of the most iconic images of the Queen resides in Jersey’s Gorey Castle. 

The hologram was commissioned by Jersey Heritage in 2004 to celebrate 800 years of the island’s loyalty to the Crown.

It became what the National Portrait Gallery has described as ‘the defining image of Queen Elizabeth’s reign’.

But how was this unique image created, why was it titled ‘Equanimity’ and how did it end up in Mont Orgueil?

Jersey used to sit in the centre of an Anglo-Norman realm that stretched all the way down from Scotland to Spain.

King John famously lost his Norman lands in 1204 and Jersey was suddenly on the edge of that realm - sitting across the water from the now enemy. 

In response, King John built Mont Orgueil Castle as a primary defence and the island stayed loyal to the Crown.

The constitutional arrangement between Jersey and the UK was formed and remains to this day, with islanders often referring to the current monarch as ‘our Duke of Normandy’.

The hologram and how it came to be

In 2004, Jersey Heritage decided to commission a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to mark 800 years of the island’s allegiance to the Crown.

Artist Chris Levine was chosen and worked closely with holographer Rob Munday to create the first holographic portrait of the Queen.

Two sittings took place in the Yellow Drawing Room in Buckingham Palace to create the three-dimensional portrait.

A high-resolution digital camera moved on a tracker to shoot over 10,000 images.

After presenting his work to the Queen, the title of ‘Equanimity’ was decided upon by Chris Levine, meaning calmness and composure.

The finished hologram was unveiled at Jersey Museum in June 2004 by Prince Charles, before it was moved up to Mont Orgueil. 

The legacy of ‘Equanimity’

‘Equanimity’ was an immediate success and shown across the UK.

In 2010, the hologram was printed onto the £100 Jersey notes.

In 2011, another version of ‘Equanimity’ was presented to the National Portrait Gallery by the people of Jersey.

With more than 8,000 images unused from the two sittings at Buckingham Palace, Chris Levine started to experiment and in 2012, he produced ‘Lightness of Being’.

It was later auctioned off for charity, raising £28,000.

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