Our favourite Frontispieces of 2025

Girls in pearls, babes of the week, English roses, first ladies: the Frontispiece is arguably one of the most iconic pages in magazine publishing. And it has appeared in every single issue of Country Life since the magazine's inception in 1897.

Here are nine of our favourites from 2025.

Dame Mary Berry

When it came to shooting someone special for the Christmas Double issue, there was no doubt that Dame Mary Berry would be our number one candidate. Photograph her we did, at Phyllis Court in Henley-on-Thames, with her wonderful dog Freddie.

Miss Harriet Cowan

We photographed Harriet right after the latest season of Clarkson's Farm hit the streamers. She was undoubtedly the star of the series and is an all-round astonishing person: a nurse and a farmer who champions everything Country Life stands for.

Sir David and Lady Beckham

Our guest editor and his wife, Victoria, were shot at home in the Cotswolds in the late summer light. The edition is one of our proudest issues of 2025.

Miss Angelica Hicks

I have been a fan of Angelica's work for years. The artist has found huge success with her DIY renditions of red carpet looks, using everyday items to recreate couture that would often have taken months to make — and thousands to buy. We shot her for our Advent Calendar issue in full regalia, as Elizabeth I, using popcorn as pearls.

Miss Katy Hessel

Katy is the toast of London's intelligentsia and it was a privilege to shoot her at home ahead of the publication of her new book, How To Live An Artful Life (Penguin, £16.99). The portrait appeared in our annual gents issue, Gentleman's Life.

Lady Henrietta Stanley

Henrietta invited us to her family seat in Lancashire to take photographs for the Frontispiece, celebrating her engagement to Alexander 'Sasha' Reviakin whom she will wed next summer in Liverpool Cathedral. We felt that this image — stately, elegant, powerful — represented her beautifully.

Mrs Olga Hopkins

In a historic first, Olga — a Second World War veteran and Royal British Legion ambassador who worked with Blenheim Bomber and Anson planes—was photographed for the May 7 edition of the magazine, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1945 armistice.

Miss Iona Rangeley-Wilson 

Iona, whose father used to write a motoring column for Country Life, is a renowned children's author whose Einstein the Penguin trilogy (HarperCollins, £7.99 each) put her on the map aged only 22. We shot her at home with her German pointer, Polly, before the publication of her new series, Cecily Sawyer: How To Be a Spy (HarperCollins, £7.99), which debuted this summer to critical acclaim.

Clare, Lady Morpurgo 

Clare, who we shot at home in Devon, is married to the celebrated novelist Sir Michael Morpurgo and runs one of Britain's most important charities, called Farms For City Children. It was a privilege to feature her on the Frontispiece and to celebrate the commendable work which she and the charity do.