Queen Camilla praises Kate Middleton
An old video in which Queen Camilla praises the Princess of Wales's '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 cover for the magazine, which was shot by the then-Duchess of Cambridge in the summer of 2022.
'She does it very sort of 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', adding that it was 'all very casual', and joking there 'wasn't much hair and make-up'.
The King's wife, 75, spoke to an ITV documentary about her cover for the magazine, which was shot by the then-Duchess of Cambridge in the summer of 2022
'It was just out in the garden with a lot of laughs,' the Queen added. 'It was a lovely way of doing it.
'Catherine said if anything else needed to be done she'd be quite happy to.'
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 at Ray Mill House country retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire.
The photograph taken by Kate appeared in the July edition of the publication, just ahead of Camilla’s landmark 75th birthday on July 17.
According to a royal source, it was Camilla's idea to ask Kate to take the photograph, and Country Life's managing and features editor, Paula Lester has said the publication 'could not be happier with the results' of the photoshoot.
She added: 'In fact, the set of images she took was so good that we struggled to choose only three, from which The Duchess of Cornwall made her final selection.'
According to Paula, Kate took the commission 'very seriously' and was 'incredibly professional' about the job.
She called Kate an 'extremely good photographer', adding that it was 'all very casual', and joking there 'wasn't much hair and makeup'. Kate pictured in 2011
An old video in which Queen Camilla praises the Princess of Wales's 'relaxed' and 'natural' approach to her Country Life photoshoot has resurfaced
'She phoned me to discuss our requirements for the cover and subsequently composed a range of beautifully shot images,' Paula explained.
Meanwhile, the magazine's editor Mark Hedges said everyone was thrilled by the photos which captured Camilla 'magnificently'. He added that the magazine would be 'delighted' to offer Kate another commission.
It comes as - in an astonishing move, Kate admitted yesterday that she 'edited' an image 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 apologised for any 'confusion' the photograph had caused, after six global picture agencies sensationally pulled the image from their wires and libraries – an unprecedented reaction to an official royal photograph – amid concern that 'the source has manipulated the image'.
The kill notices by the agencies added fuel to the fire as a litany of conspiracy theories continue to swirl about Kate's health.
There were questions over everything from why Princess Charlotte's wrist did not match 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 issued since her abdominal surgery in January.
According to a royal source, it was Camilla's idea to ask Kate to take the photograph. Pictured editing the issue
Although the couple have regularly issued something personal to mark Mother's Day, it was hoped the picture might also quell vicious social media speculation about the nature of the princess's condition.
Instead, the royal blunder resulted in another public explosion of conspiracy theories.
Publicly taking the blame for the furore, the princess wrote: 'Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
'I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.
'I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C.'
Kensington Palace said it would not reissue the unedited photograph of Kate and her children, which in 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 being led by Queen Camilla for the first time – accompanied by Prince William – in the King's absence as he undergoes cancer treatment. His Majesty recorded a video message for the first time instead.
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 en route to a 'private appointment' and she did not accompany William publicly.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline her 'sudden appearance is not a dignified response' to what has occurred.
Kensington Palace released the first picture of the Princess of Wales since surgery but the public were quick to notice the photoshop fail and soon after agencies ordered a 'kill notice'
Kate also posted the apology on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account after the furore
He said: 'When journalists have been saying they want to "see" Catherine, no one, as I understand it, meant in quite this way. A sudden appearance, which she has just made, is a knee jerk reaction which lacks what royals must have, that 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, occasionally, have felt we were in touch whilst it was important she felt she had kept her privacy.
'William and Catherine are under tremendous pressure, which is particularly horrible if one has been seriously ill as she has. However, the mistake of editing the photograph, though extremely embarrassing, is not a major calamity.
'What it shows is that she looks well again and that her children look very happy. However, their current handling of public relations is potentially perilous.
'What the small but growing number of republicans want is to mock the monarchy.
'Whilst Queen Elizabeth lived this was all but impossible. Ill-health and the crises affecting the Sussexes and Yorks have given them a good opportunity. The public relations at the Palaces needs to be responsive and disciplined which it clearly is 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 must put this embarrassing episode behind them and appear publicly confident. It will take time and common sense, kept in touch, the people will respond...'