How Kate's flair for photography resulted in heartwarming candids (2024)

The Princess of Wales has had a passion for photography since her student days - and her flair for documentary-style images has resonated with royal fans who get an intimate insight into her and Prince William's young family.

Today, Kate released a brand new picture tomark her husband's 42nd birthday, showing the heir to the throne's playful side as he jumps for joy with his children on a beach in Norfolk.

It's the latest in a series of sweet candids the mother-of-three has shared on social media - which are a world away from the stuffy and posed pictures we've seen from royals in years gone by.

Just last week, a photo released on Father's Day showed Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, on a beach trip alongside their dad, posing with their backs to the camera as they looked out to sea on the coast, near their Anmer Hall home.

Elsewhere, Kate has also been known to capture her children's birthday portraits - which let their personalities shine through - as well as a heartwarming image of the late Queen Elizabeth and her grandkids.

She is particularly adept at capturing her family in natural poses, letting their personalities shine through.

The photo album looked very different only a few decades ago, when King Charles and the late Princess Diana were releasing much more formal, posed images.

The difference between the easy grins and smiles in Kate's images - over the at-times stiff silhouettes captured of her husband's parents when he was a baby - are stark.

Charles and Diana look more formal - and less natural - in archive shots, and don't signal the same warmth evident in Kate's photos.

In photographs taken after Princess Diana left the Lindo Wing in London with a newborn Prince William, the couple are dressed in formal outfits - with Charles donning a suit for the occasion.

Compared to Prince William's laid-back shorts and baseball cap, Charles and Diana's ensembles look decidedly less down to earth.

In a 1984 portrait taken to mark Prince Harry's christening, the couple are in more ceremonial attire again, posing for the camera with their two children.

Proving just how difficult it is to get children to pose for a serious photo, William's pointing at the camera is arguably the most natural element of the shot.

It's however promising to see that Kate is still keen to share her photography with the world with this latest release, after she was subjected to criticism following the Mother's Day photo-editing furore.

After concerns from photo agencies were publicly aired, the Princess issued a statement on Xand Instagram admitting she 'edited' the image.

Kate added that she does 'occasionally experiment' as an 'amateur photographer' and apologised for 'any confusion' the image caused.

The family photo was the first picture of the Princess of Wales, 42, to appear since her abdominal surgery earlier in the year.

Despite the blip, Kate has captured countless touching images of her children and husband over the years - and shared many of these with the world through emotive social media posts.

Prince George, now ten, is naturally a firm fixture on Kate's camera roll, with his mother marking milestones such as his first day at nursery in Norfolk, and supporting the England squad in a team shirt in 2019.

With the Royal Family moving towards a more relatable direction, it's no surprise they've ditched the formal dress for something more low-key.

And Kate's photography talents only add to this new image of the monarchy.

On George's seventh birthday, two photographs were released, taken in July 2020 during lockdown at their then Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, while his eighth birthday saw himperched on the bonnet of a Land Rover Defender.

The most recent snaps of the young Prince were on his ninth birthday and showed the future King posing in a polo-style top in a beach setting.

Princess Charlotte's birth also gave Kate the opportunity to practice snapping her two children together for the first time - which is no mean feat when toddlers are so easily distracted.

And angelic looking George was clearly up to the challenge though, cradling his baby sister while wearing an adorable button-up shirt.

Princess Charlotte's development from a bright-eyed toddler to a headstrong young woman has also been documented on Kate's camera roll.

In earlier pictures we see Charlotte looking adorable in a lemon cardigan, as well as holding the family dog for a portrait to mark her seventh birthday.

Later we see Charlotte posing with the family dog and a cheeky grin aged seven.

And of course, Prince Louis, the youngest Wales child has been the subject of a number of sweet photographs, with his cheeky personality shining through more and more as he gets older.

The Princess of Wales has also captured some early moments between Charlotte and Louis, as well as the young Prince as a tiny baby.

More recently, Prince Louis has been photographed cycling to nursery on his bicycle - and in a group family photos with dad Prince William.

FAMILY PORTRAITS

The rest of the royal family also benefit from Kate's photography talents, with the Princess capturing a beautiful picture of her father-in-law Charles and Prince Louis when he was just two years old.

Kate was also given the honour of photographing Queen Camilla on her 75th birthday, with an image released showing the Queen in a summer setting with a basket of cut flowers, wearing a pretty blue dress.

The Princess of Wales also took moving photographs of Prince Philip and great-granddaughter Mia Tindall sharing some lunch before he passed away in 2021, as well as a sweet moment between the late Duke of Edinburgh and Prince George enjoying a carriage ride.