<p id=”par-1_39″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-william-kate-middleton-reportedly-continue-releasing-birthday-portraits-1-key-detail-undecided.html/”>Taking photos of Prince George</a>, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-charlotte/”>Princess Charlotte</a>, and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-louis/”>Prince Louis</a> isn’t just a sweet tradition for <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/kate-middleton/”>Kate Middleton</a>. In doing so, the Princess of Wales has, according to commentators, sidestepped the “damage” <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-william/”>Prince William</a>, the Prince of Wales, experienced.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kate-s-taken-control-by-photographing-george-charlotte-and-louis”>Kate’s taken ‘control’ by photographing George, Charlotte, and Louis</h2>
<p id=”par-2_33″>“The Princess of Wales understands who she is, [and] the position that she’s in,” Afua Hagan, a royal commentator and journalist, said in the <em>Kate: A Queen for the Future</em> documentary (via <a href=”https://www.ok.co.uk/royal/kate-middleton-took-unprecedented-step-33133350″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>OK</a>). </p>
<p id=”par-3_28″>“She also understands the interest in her family, especially her children, that people want to see them growing up. So she understands that the press needs these pictures.” </p>
<p id=”par-4_43″>She’s “seen firsthand through her husband, Prince William, the damage that the press has done to his life,” Hagan continued. “And so she’s realised [sic] that if she can do something about that, if she can take control, then she should do that.” </p>
<p id=”par-5_32″>“Kate did something which was unprecedented at the time. She decided that she was going to be the one to photograph her own children, which I think was an absolutely brilliant move.” </p>
<p id=”par-6_27″>“She’s decided I will take them and I will deliver them to the press agencies. I’ll be the one that post[s] them on social media,” Hagan explained. </p>
<p id=”par-7_29″>Furthermore, as royal biographer Ingrid Seward noted, by becoming the “main photographer of the family,” Kate spared George, Charlotte, and Louis the potential stress of posing for a stranger. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-wales-kids-occasionally-have-their-photo-taken-by-a-professional-photographer-instead-of-kate”>The Wales kids occasionally have their photo taken by a professional photographer instead of Kate</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image aligncenter size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kate-Middleton-who-takes-photos-of-the-Wales-children-with-Prince-George-Princess-Charlotte-and-Prince-Louis.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kate Middleton, who takes photos of the Wales children, walks with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis” class=”wp-image-3686276″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte | Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-8_22″>Kate doesn’t exclusively photograph George, Charlotte, and Louis. Sometimes, she and William opt to have a professional take photos of their kids. </p>
<p id=”par-9_26″>The future queen wasn’t behind the camera taking George’s birthday portrait when he turned 10 in July 2023. Instead, professional photographer Millie Pilkington snapped George’s photo. </p>
<p id=”par-10_47″>The same thing happened when Louis turned 5 in April 2023. Unlike Charlotte, whose 2023 birthday photo was taken by Kate, Pilkington was again responsible for this picture. It adorably showed Louis being pushed in a wheelbarrow by his mom. (Does it get much cuter than that?)</p>
<p id=”par-11_40″>Outside of birthday photos, the royal family of five has posed for professional photographers for holiday cards. In 2023, William, Kate, and their three kids wore white shirts in a photo taken by Josh Shinner for their <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-william-kate-middleton-embarrassed-christmas-card-photoshop-talk-report.html/”>official holiday card</a>. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-photo-tradition-was-put-into-question-after-mother-s-day-snap-nbsp”>The photo tradition was put into question after Mother’s Day snap </h2>
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<iframe title=”Kate Apologises For Edited Photo Confusion” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/TexI4IVZUbQ?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-12_38″>The future of William and Kate’s long-held tradition of releasing photos of George, Charlotte, and Louis became unclear when, for U.K. Mother’s Day on March 10, 2024, Kensington Palace released a photo—taken by William—of Kate with the kids. </p>
<p id=”par-13_39″>It marked Kate’s first official appearance since Christmas 2023 and her January 2024 abdominal surgery. At the time, conspiracy theories swirled online. They reached a fever pitch with the photo’s release, which quickly <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/relatable-reason-behind-kate-middletons-edited-mothers-day-family-photo-according-expert.html/”>came under fire for being edited</a>. </p>
<p id=”par-14_26″>It led to a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kate-middleton-apologizes-after-three-months-public-eye-photoshop-fail.html/”>public apology from Kate</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/edited-kate-middleton-photo-sparks-new-theory-hate-royal-family.html/”>more speculation about her health</a> and whereabouts. Finally, on March 22, 2024, she announced her cancer diagnosis.</p>
<p id=”par-15_25″>Between the photo’s release and Kate’s announcement, there were questions about whether William and Kate would <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-william-kate-middleton-releasing-family-photos-may-editing-controversy-expert-says-not-worth-the-trouble.html/”>continue releasing personal photos</a> of George, Charlotte, and Louis. </p>
<p id=”par-16_35″>Ultimately, the couple decided to keep up the tradition, albeit with one change. William and Kate released a photo of Louis to mark his birthday on April 23, 2024, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-william-kate-middleton-control-subtle-change-birthday-photo-tradition.html/”>without going through major photo agencies</a>. </p>