An old video of Queen Camilla praising the Princess of Wales’ ‘relaxed’ and ‘natural’ approach to her Country Life photoshoot has resurfaced in light of Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo blunder.
The King’s wife, 75, spoke to an ITV documentary about her magazine cover shot by the then Duchess of Cambridge in the summer of 2022.
“She does it very naturally… we had a lot of fun doing it,” Camilla revealed.
‘It was very relaxed and of course, very kindly, the Duchess of Cambridge came with her camera.’
She called Kate an ‘extremely good photographer’ and added that it was all ‘very relaxed’ and jokingly there was ‘not a lot of hair and make-up’.
The King’s wife, 75, spoke to an ITV documentary about her magazine cover shot by the then Duchess of Cambridge in the summer of 2022
“It was just out in the garden with lots of laughs,” added the Queen. ‘It was a lovely way to do it.
“Catherine said if anything else was to be done she would be very happy.”
At the time, Kate – who is a keen photographer and has taken several official portraits of her three children – was described as a ‘consummate professional’ by the magazine.
The then Duchess of Cornwall was snapped relaxing at her Ray Mill House country estate in Lacock, Wiltshire.
The photograph taken by Kate appeared in the July edition of the publication, just before Camilla’s landmark 75th birthday on July 17.
According to a royal source, it was Camilla’s idea to ask Kate to take the photo, and Country Life’s managing editor, Paula Lester, has said the publication ‘couldn’t be happier with the results’ of the photo shoot.
She added: “In fact the set of pictures she took were so good that we struggled to choose just three from which the Duchess of Cornwall made her final choice.”
According to Paula, Kate took the commission ‘very seriously’ and was ‘incredibly professional’ about the job.
She called Kate an ‘extremely good photographer’ and added that it was all ‘very relaxed’ and jokingly there was ‘not a lot of hair and make-up’. Kate pictured in 2011
An old video in which Queen Camilla praises the Princess of Wales’ ‘relaxed’ and ‘natural’ approach to her Country Life photoshoot has resurfaced
“She called me to discuss our requirements for the cover and subsequently composed a series of beautifully captured images,” explained Paula.
Meanwhile, the magazine’s editor Mark Hedges said everyone was thrilled with the photos, which captured Camilla ‘magnificently’. He added that the magazine would be ‘delighted’ to offer Kate another commission.
It comes as – in a stunning move, Kate yesterday admitted she ‘edited’ a picture showing her celebrating Mothering Sunday with her children.
The princess said in a rare personal message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she ‘occasionally experimented’ as an ‘amateur photographer’.
She apologized for any “confusion” the photograph had caused after six global image agencies sensationally pulled the image from their wires and libraries – an unprecedented response to an official royal photograph – amid concerns that “the source has tampered with the image”.
The agencies’ kill announcements added fuel to the fire as a number of conspiracy theories continue to swirl about Kate’s health.
There were questions about everything from why Princess Charlotte’s wrist didn’t fit the sleeve of her cardigan, to Prince Louis’ strange fingers.
The photograph of Kate and her children, taken by Prince William at the family home in Windsor on Friday, was the first to be released since her stomach operation in January.
According to a royal source, it was Camilla’s idea to ask Kate to take the photo. The image edits the problem
Although the couple have regularly posted something personal to mark Mother’s Day, it was hoped the image could also quell vicious speculation on social media about the nature of the princess’s condition.
Instead, the royal blunder resulted in another public explosion of conspiracy theories.
The princess publicly took the blame for the furore, writing: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing.
‘I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the family photo we shared yesterday.
‘I hope everyone who celebrated had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.’
Kensington Palace said it would not re-release the unedited photograph of Kate and her children, which itself sparked further debate.
Last night the Palace faced growing pressure over the debacle, with claims it has damaged public trust. The row overshadowed yesterday’s Coronation Day service at Westminster Abbey, which was led by Queen Camilla for the first time – accompanied by Prince William – in the King’s absence as he undergoes cancer treatment. His Majesty instead recorded a video message for the first time.
Yesterday, Kate was seen in the back seat of a car with her husband as he left Windsor to travel to London for two public engagements. It is understood she was on her way to a ‘private appointment’ and did not accompany William in public.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that her “sudden appearance is not a dignified response” to what has happened.
Kensington Palace released the first image of the Princess of Wales since the operation, but the public were quick to note that the photoshop failed and soon after agencies ordered a ‘kill notice’
Kate also posted the apology on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram account following the furore
He said: ‘When journalists have said they want to “see” Catherine, nobody, as I understand it, meant it that way. A sudden appearance like she just made is a knee drop which lacks what the royals should have, which is dignity.
‘This business has also overshadowed Commonwealth Day. There should never have been two and a half months where she seemed to disappear, we should have occasionally felt that we were in touch, while it was important that she felt that she had maintained her privacy.
‘William and Catherine are under enormous pressure, which is particularly terrible if you have been seriously ill as she has. But the error in editing the photograph, while extremely embarrassing, is not a major accident.
‘What it shows is that she looks good again and her children look very happy. But their current handling of public relations is potentially dangerous.
“What the small but growing number of republicans want is to mock the monarchy.
“While Queen Elizabeth was alive this was almost impossible. Ill health and the crises affecting the Sussexes and Yorks have given them a good opportunity. Public relations at the palaces should be responsive and disciplined, which they clearly are not. William and Catherine are the world’s most glamorous and high-profile royal couple.
‘They need dignity to continue to do good for their charities and project soft power like no one else can for Britain.
‘They need to put this embarrassing episode behind them and appear publicly confident. It will take time and common sense, keep in touch, the people will react…’