Kate‘s love for photography has become clear during the years, with the Duchess of Cambridge marking most of her family’s important milestones with pictures she took. Her skills have been recognised by royal fans and photography experts.
Among them, there was the Chief Executive at the Royal Photographic Society, Michael Pritchard, who in 2017 praised the Duchess for her “talent and enthusiasm” behind the lens and gave her a lifetime honorary membership of the society.
However, Kate’s love for photography and her skilfully done portraits have also been included in the Royal Family’s exercise of soft power by a royal historian.
Chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces Lucy Worsley told People: “You would think that the weapons of a King and Queen were perhaps their armies or centuries of tradition but what they have is the power of the media.
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“The visual is almost more important than words because they don’t have that many opportunities to speak.
“So, they have become very adept at using photo opportunities: dressing, body language, who they are photographed with — all that sort of thing — to express their influence.
“Because they don’t have power, but they do have influence.”
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The first members of the Royal Family to embrace photography have been Queen Victoria and her beloved husband Prince Albert.
In their pictures, the Queen and Prince showed themselves in relaxed and familiar poses, a way for them to look closer to the British middle class.
Ever since the Victorian era, new generations of royals have embraced photography and its power, including George VI, the Queen and Kate.
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Ms Worsley continued: “It makes them relatable and therefore builds affection.
“They work in exactly the same way as a soap opera does.
“These are people whose lives sort of mirror your own. They progress.
“They have births, deaths and marriages.
“You get to know them over time.
“You feel like they are your friends — sort of!
“People talk about it [the Royal Family] as a high brand institution, but it so isn’t.
“It’s really, really adapted. They use Instagram and what have you, but they reference the past.
“They make decisions that appear consistent with the past.”
According to Ms Worsley, Kate and Prince William have perfectly followed the example set by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
She added: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge now dominate my Instagram feed!”
Kate has been marking milestones and birthdays of her children, as well as important dates like Mother’s Day, by sharing pictures taken by herself on Instagram and Twitter.
But earlier this year Kate also took part in a project first launched by Justin Cohen to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
In January, the Duchess became one of the many photographers to take pictures of Holocaust survivors with their grandchildren.
— to www.express.co.uk
