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Kate Middleton turns 41 on January 9, 2023.
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Getty Images royal photographer Chris Jackson shared his favorite photos of the royal.
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He told Insider he enjoyed capturing unexpected moments as royals went about their duties.
The royal photographer Chris Jackson captured a poignant photo of the Princess of Wales visiting Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore in 2012.
“As a royal photographer, my goal is to create some kind of response in the viewer, be it they smile, they laugh — and, sometimes, there’s a more poignant image,” Jackson told Insider in 2022. “These are kind of rarer images but, nonetheless, incredibly important.”
Jackson took the photo as Middleton — now the Princess of Wales — was leaving the cemetery. He called it “one of the standout, slightly different images that I’ve taken with the Duchess of Cambridge.”
“It’s actually a great lesson as well as to keep watching until the end of the engagement because this was a lovely moment as the duchess was walking away and accepting over her shoulder,” he said.
“She’s always fantastic to photograph,” Jackson said of Kate Middleton abseiling at an outdoor-education center in 2015. “She brings a real energy to every engagement.”
“I just love the energy in this picture and the expression on her face,” he said. “I think there was an element of trepidation before she went over the top.
“But as she absiled down, she was clearly enjoying it. It’s a great example of how she does get stuck in and makes great photographs. It’s got real energy to it.”
Jackson said royal fans had called this 2017 photo of Kate at the Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace “a kind of Mary Poppins moment.”
“The duchess is emerging in some very typical British weather — I think it started drizzling,” he said. “So she’s got her umbrella out, but it’s slightly unusual, and I just love the expression on her face.”
Jackson says some of the best royal photos happen when the weather is less than ideal.
“I always find that when it’s raining and, quite often when there’s a torrential downfall, you often get the most unexpected and fun images,” he said. “So it always pays to be on your guard when you can see a big gray cloud coming along.”
One of his favorite photos of Prince William and Kate is from a 2017 visit to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.
“I was looking around, looking at what might make a picture and what might not, and this seemed quite like a complicated silhouette, so I wasn’t sure it was going to work,” Jackson said. “But I love this particular moment, where the duchess is between the spokes of the clock, and she’s glancing out to the left slightly. It’s just a little bit more unusual. It stands out from the day-to-day royal engagements.”
Another favorite couple photo is from their 2019 royal tour of Pakistan as they were leaving the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore.
“Pakistan is one of my favorite countries I’ve ever been to for royal tours,” Jackson said. “It’s got incredible color, energy. Everyone I’ve met has been very friendly.”
Jackson snapped this photo as Prince William and Kate Middleton were finishing their tour of the historic site.
“It was the last engagement of the day, and the light was stunning,” he said. “I really enjoyed this moment as they were leaving the mosque.”
He also photographed William and Kate sharing a moment behind the scenes at the 2021 Earthshot Prize awards.
Held at Alexandra Palace in London, the Earthshot Prize awards honor environmental problem-solvers with a total of $5 million for their sustainable solutions. National Geographic dubbed it “the most prestigious environmental award in history.”
“It was a real buzz to be behind the scenes and capture some of those special moments,” Jackson said. “This is just one particular moment which I loved in the evening. Visually, I think it worked, and it was quite special to do that.”
Jackson called this royal wedding photo “one of my favorite pictures from my career.”
“It was obviously this incredible moment and really highlights what is so special about being a royal photographer — to have a front-row seat to these particular historic moments,” he said.
He added: “And this was watched by over 2 billion people around the world, the moment as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerged onto the steps of Westminster Abbey on their wedding day and stepped into the light, I suppose, symbolic of embarking on a future together.”
Jackson has published two photography books: “Elizabeth II: A Queen for Our Time” and “Modern Monarchy.”
Read the original article on Insider
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