Kate Middleton says power of photography lies in ‘capturing the moment’ without a ‘staged setting’ in resurfaced video – as social media goes wild following royals’ Mother’s Day post blunder

A video of the Princess of Wales talking about how the power of photography lies in ‘capturing the moment’ without a ‘staged setting or a perfect studio’ has resurfaced after her Mother’s Day post-blunder.

Speaking on This Morning in 2020, Kate Middleton, 42, gave tips to anyone wanting to experiment with a camera as she launched her Hold Still campaign.

The project, which partnered with the National Portrait Gallery, was designed to capture the nation’s ‘spirit, mood, hope and fear’ during the pandemic through images.

“Well I’m very much an amateur photographer,” she told the show. ‘I’m learning a bit along the way.

“But actually… during this time I spent a lot of time taking out my camera and taking pictures of the kids because they’re always around us and we’re always doing things together, which has been great.

“One of the great things about photography is really capturing that moment, so it’s not a staged setting, it’s not setting it up perfectly, it’s not clearing away your house so you have a perfect studio setup, but it really captures them moments that feel real to you and that capture the moment or an expression or a feeling, I suppose.

‘That’s the power of photography – it can capture a moment and tell a story.’

Kate is known to be a keen photographer and has taken several official portraits of her three children.

It comes as – in a stunning move, the royal 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.

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.

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…’