Revisit the time the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed by British Vogue for the cover of its centenary issue.
“The idea came about very organically,” said Nicholas Cullinan, the gallery’s director. “The National Portrait Gallery and Britishexhibition. Given the fact that the centenary issue would come out during the run of the exhibition, it seemed natural for us to ask our patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, to collaborate with both of us in creating a very special series of photographic portraits.”
From the start, the details and the mood of the pictures, the styling and, of course, the choice of Josh Olins as photographer were guided by the Duchess’s own thoughts about this enterprise. She was keen to give the commission to a British photographer for whom this would be a new opportunity, and following that lead we put forward a number of suggestions.
It was very clear from the outset that these pictures were to be of the woman herself rather than of a figurehead, and that they would be as informal as possible. The Duchess liked the idea of being photographed in the countryside, and she wanted the pictures to reflect an element of her private existence. She didn’t want to be dressed as a fashion plate and was not keen to be shot in gala gowns and tiaras.
We drank coffee and everyone prepped until the Duchess arrived, in jeans and a parka, her hair in big rollers, with a bright, inclusive smile. She walked through the small cottage door with her hairdresser, Amanda Tucker, who was dragging a wheelie case of products. The Duchess joked about how she must have appeared to anyone who saw her driving the car in her rollers, before introducing herself to everyone she hadn’t yet met.
Although the Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most photographed women in the world, she is not someone who feels entirely comfortable at the end of the lens, nor as the centre of attention, and throughout the day the whole mood was very low-maintenance. The make-up artist Sally Branka’s work was slightly different to what the Duchess usually does for herself and it was a measure of how easy-going she is that she trusted Sally – scarcely even checking herself in the mirror afterwards.
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