According to a royal expert, Kate Middleton has “taken ownership of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ public image.”
Kate Middleton, 39, is a keen amateur photographer who has made a name for herself by releasing candid photos of her children for special occasions, such as their birthdays.
The model is ‘unique’ for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, according to royal expert Camilla Tominey, and helps the family maintain a level of privacy for Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three.
‘The paparazzi – there’s no market anymore,’ she told The Telegraph, ‘because the Duchess comes out with her own family photos, which are far more valuable to the press than images taken with a long lense.’
‘That’s how The Cambridges are going to strike a balance; they’re going to give in exchange for some privacy.’
Camilla Tominey claims that the Duchess of Cambridge, 39, has “taken ownership of Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis’, three, image” by releasing photographs of her children for special occasions such as birthdays.
‘George’s childhood will be very different from the royals who have gone before him,’ Camilla said as she released a beaming photo of her eldest son George on his eighth birthday.
‘His generation is the digital generation, and the Cambridges’ challenge will be to balance public interest in their son with their own privacy as time goes on.’
‘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 recent appearance at Wembley was because the little royal is ‘genuinely’ a football fan.
‘You have to strike a balance between their private and public lives, and there is an expectation of seeing George grow up because he will one day be King,’ says the author.
‘We’re told the Cambridges very much plan their diary around the fact someone needs to be there in the morning and for bedtime,’ she said, adding that parenting has become’more hands on’ through the royal generations.
‘We know the Duchess drives the children to school and does the school run herself, so they’re there for the important events during the school year.’
‘First and foremost, they want to be parents.’ Both of them have a sense that they know what their fate is…but until then, they want to try to preserve as much family life as possible.’
‘Unlike when Prince William and Harry were in trouble, Prince George is a child of the new digital generation.’
‘I believe Prince George will have to exercise extreme caution as he matures into a teenager, and his parents will be acutely aware of his vulnerability.’
‘The interesting thing about the Cambridge model, and it’s kind of unique for the royals, is that the Duchess in particular has almost taken ownership of the children’s image in the press,’ she said, adding that Kate had ‘taken ownership’ of her children’s image in the press by releasing photographs of them each year.
‘When the kids were first born, we had a situation where the couple was concerned about pap shots…
Kate is now saturating the market with her own children’s imagery.
‘And I believe that trend will continue.’
The Royal Family’see photography as their very own superpower,’ according to the chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces.
Being snapped, according to historian Lucy Worsley of The Times, was “vital to The Firm’s very survival.”
‘Every image carries a message, and nobody understands this better than the royal family,’ she said, adding that if royal tour photographs aren’t great, the tour is often deemed a failure.
The royal family was among the early adopters of photography, which Lucy described as a “wonder of science.”
‘They quickly realized that photography presented not a problem, but an opportunity,’ she explained.
