A royal photographer revealed that Princess of Wales Kate Middleton had dashed the expectations of a generation of photographers by taking pictures of the royal children rather than allowing a photographer to ‘make their name’ doing it.
Kate, 40, has shared images to mark major anniversaries such as her three children’s birthdays.
However, royal photographer John Swannell claims she is depriving others the chance to establish a reputation for themselves.
‘All the work I got with the royals really elevated my career; nowadays, someone like me just won’t have the chance,’ he said.
‘Those chances should be given to young English photographers.’
Mr Swannell stated that there were certain advantages to the Princess shooting the photographs personally.
He added: ‘In some ways, though, Kate is probably right to do it herself. She’s not a great photographer, but she just snaps away, and with kids it’s easier if you know them.’
The Princess’ interest in photography began before she joined The Firm, when she completed her undergraduate thesis on images of children.
She was the first member of the royal family to take the first official images of a royal infant when she published photos of newborn Charlotte in the arms of her big brother Prince George in 2015.
To commemorate Prince George’s ninth birthday, the then Duchess of Cambridge posted a photo of him earlier this year. It was taken during a family beach excursion in July after George and his siblings had finished school for the summer.
A photo she snapped of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis piling on to their happy father, Prince William, was released in 2020.
The image was released to coincide with Father’s Day and William’s 38th birthday.
It was posted alongside another photo of William hugging then-two-year-old Louis on his knee as Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince George, six, ran around. The swing they were sitting on special Father’s Day significance because it was a wedding gift from Prince Charles.
Kate, a skilled photographer, captured the images on the grounds of Anmer Hall, their Norfolk country house.
She has also shared photos of her children playing on beaches and amid bluebells in Norfolk.
Photographs of the three youngsters were shot on their first day at nursery school.
Pictures of Princess Charlotte volunteering during the epidemic were also revealed in 2020. She assisted in the packing and delivery of food baskets for isolated retirees living near the Sandringham Estate.
Camilla Tominey, a royal specialist, has stated that the then-Duchess of Cambridge had “taken ownership of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ public image.”
According to Ms Tominey, the concept is “unique” for the pair and allows the family to preserve a measure of seclusion for their three children.
‘The paparazzi – there’s no market anymore because the Duchess comes out with her own family photographs, and they’re far more important to the press than shots obtained with a long lense.’
‘That’s how The Cambridges are going to strike the balance, they’re going to give in order to receive a degree of privacy back.’
‘George’s childhood will be very different from the royals who have gone before him,’ Ms Tominey said as she published a happy photo of her oldest son George on his eighth birthday.
‘His generation is the digital generation and the challenges for the Cambridges as time goes on is how to manage public interest in their son with their own privacy.’
‘Equally, the Cambridges do want the public to see their children and have some degree of access to them,’ she said, adding that Prince George’s attendance at Wembley last year was because the tiny prince is ‘genuinely’ a football enthusiast.
‘You’ve got balance the private and the public of their lives and there’s an expectation of seeing George grow up because he will one day be King.’
The chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces said the Royal Family ‘see photography as their very own superpower’.