Which artist created the 1985 Andy Warhol portrait series Reigning Queens?

Andy Warhol created the 1985 portrait series Reigning Queens. The series depicts four reigning female monarchs: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland, now Eswatini.

Warhol used photographic source images and applied his signature silkscreen-based approach, combining repeated portrait formats with strong, decorative color. The series extends his long-running interest in public figures whose images circulate through official portraits, newspapers, and popular media.

The title refers to reigning queens rather than queens from history or fictional characters. That distinction is important because the subjects were living monarchs who held their thrones when the series was made.

Reigning Queens is sometimes confused with Warhol’s earlier portraits of celebrities, athletes, or political leaders. Its defining feature is the group of four contemporary female monarchs represented together in a single series.