Queen Elizabeth II’s Photographer Rates Kate Middleton’s Camera Skills

Queen Elizabeth II’s photographer Hugo Rittson-Thomas has given Princess Kate Middleton’s skills his stamp of approval.

“She is knowledgeable about the techniques of photography, as her recent published photographs of Prince George and Princess Charlotte amply demonstrate,” Rittson-Thomas told Hello! on Tuesday, April 9.

Rittson-Thomas noted that Kate, 42, was “kind enough” to “come and inspect the specially black-out set” while he was photographing her husband, Prince William. Rittson-Thomas explained that he had to have a “new set specially constructed” due to William’s taller stature.

“It was an enormous privilege and honor,” he added.

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A royal photographer who captured the Prince and Princess of Wales’ 2011 wedding, Samir Hussein, previously told Us Weekly that he was also “quite impressed” with Kate’s abilities.

“When I’ve met her, I’ve spoken to her of photography, and she’s a really, really keen photographer, and you can see from the pictures she takes that she’s certainly better than your average person on the streets,” Hussein exclusively told Us. “She’s got a good eye, and she’s a good photographer. I’m impressed by her pictures, absolutely.”

Hussein noted that he “tried” to give tips to Kate, but he’s not sure “whether she’s taken them on board.”

Kate’s interest in photos was met with backlash in March when fans noticed that a family Mother’s Day photo appeared to be digitally altered. (The image was reportedly taken by William, 41.)

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Several news agencies subsequently received a “kill notification” to remove the image from their websites, which Kate addressed in a statement. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote via X at the time. “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.”

Through the years, Kate has often photographed her kids’ birthdays, capturing images of George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, in relaxed environments. Kate has also taken more formal pics, snapping the cover image for Queen Camilla’s 2022 profile in the U.K.’s Country Life magazine.

Camilla, 76, reportedly called upon Kate’s skills for her profile. “She immediately replied, ‘Oh, I’d quite like Catherine to do it.’ I spent the next three or four minutes desperately racking my brain trying to think of a professional photographer called Catherine,” editor Mark Hedges recalled in a statement. “Then suddenly I grasped what she meant — one of the most amazing things that could happen. I found it one of the easier things to nod my head at.”

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi