Southampton man tattoos portrait of the Queen on his own leg as tribute

Michael Purkiss, 57, was wracked with anxiety when news first broke of Queen Elizabeth II's ill health on Thursday.

He was so deeply saddened by the subsequent announcement of her death he decided to tattoo her portrait on his left leg above the knee.

Michael, who shares a birthday with the Queen, tattooed the 7in by 3in image just above an existing tattoo of fictional superhero Batman's nemesis the Joker.

As he did the tattoo himself he had to painstakingly spend two hours working on the image upside down.

He used an image he found online of the Queen on a vintage postcard dating to around 1953 to guide his work.

“And now every time I look down I’ll look at her face and think she was a nice woman and was always smiling - just looking at it makes me happy.”

Michael Purkiss with his tattoo of the Queen. Photo: Jose Ramos (Image: Michael Pink in his tattoo studio with his Queen tattoo)

The owner of Chicano Ink, in Market Buildings, Swaythling, said he always looked up to the Queen as a respected role model.

He said: “I thought about tattooing her face on my leg and that’s exactly what I did - so I looked for the best picture I could find when she was younger and was smiling a lot.

"I found one, and it’s such a happy picture with a really nice smile that when you look at it, makes you smile.

He added: "I had to do it upside down as (it was) on my own leg and hurts a lot more tattooing yourself but it was all worth it."

Reaction has been largely positive, he said.

"Everyone liked it - my partner also liked it. My mum loved it even though she's not a fan of tattoos," he told the Echo.

"Some people said I was crazy but also said it looked good. Others said things like "well done" and "fair play"."

Michael has more than 30 tattoos on his arms, back and chest, with his first one being a small dragon on his left arm.

He and his mum watched TV news anxiously on Thursday afternoon until the sad announcement of her death was made.

“On the day I heard of her health, I watched TV all afternoon with my mum, and started getting worried," he said.

“Then when we heard about the bad news, I felt really sad, I started remembering she also shared the same birthday as me and I would always tell people that and make the joke that she would send me a cake every year.”

HM Queen Elizabeth II, left, with Michael Purkiss's tattoo, pictured right (Image: The tattoo of the Queen compared with picture)

Michael added: “I always respected the way she acted, the way she was with people, no matter what colour or who you were or if you were tattooed all up, she never judged anyone.

“She would always be kind to everyone - I looked at her as another mum, like she’s the mum of all mums."

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook