A photographer has shared secrets from a Princess of Wales‘ photoshoot where she was “apprehensive” and secret, unedited snaps were taken.

From the moment she began dating Prince William, Kate has been captured through the lens. The princess has long had a fascination with photography, and her own passion for the art came under scrutiny recently when she admitted to editing a Mother’s Day snap of her and her children, taken by William.

This isn’t the first time Kate has tried out new challenges in photography; she was “a little fearful” when she met with a photographer for a special occasion photoshoot after discovering he usually snaps models.

The pictures were taken during a secret photoshoot at Kew Gardens last November, 2021, by famous fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, whose previous work has graced the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair. Royal fans had been hoping the princess would release new official photos to mark her 40th birthday – and they were not disappointed.

Three beautiful portraits were shared for the occasion – each showing Kate in a different light. In two of the images, she wears flowing light dresses while in the third she dresses up in a vibrant ruby red gown – completing the look with loose curly hair and natural-looking make-up.

Mr Roversi has opened up on exactly how he came to work with Kate and how he snapped some secret photographs which have never been shared.

Meeting the Princess

The first meeting between Kate and Mr Roversi came at Kensington Palace, where the photographer says they met for tea and biscuits. He says he found Kate a little nervous about carrying out the shoot.

He told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “At first [Kate] was apprehensive. She is machine-gunned by photographers every day but is not used to posing. Knowing my photos with models she was a little fearful of facing a real session, which required about four hours of work. But I reassured her that once we started it was going to be very easy.”

While taking her picture, Mr Roversi said he was moved by Kate’s “warm and friendly welcome and enchanted by her shining eyes that reflected the loveliness of her soul and her smile showing the generosity of her heart”. He added: “It was a profound and rich experience for me, an unforgettable moment. I have met a wonderful person, a person who, with her positive energy, can bring hope to the whole world.”

Styling and makeup

In the portraits, Kate wears three stunning dresses created by a designer who she’s worked with several times – Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. Sarah’s relationship with Kate goes back more than 10 years; she also created her iconic wedding gown. So, knowing how trustworthy the designer is, Kate asked Sarah to pick her looks for the shoot.

For the official portrait (the side profile image), Kate wears a stunning light organza dress, which Mr Roversi says makes the princess look like a “classical ballerina”.

In terms of jewellery, Kate wears her eye-catching engagement ring and in two of the shots, opts for a pair of diamond earrings on loan from the late Queen. In the photo where she wears the red dress, she wears diamond and pearl drop earrings that once belonged to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana.

Roversi told the Italian publication: “I didn’t want her to look too Lady Duchess, too establishment, but as pure and contemporary as possible. Or even timeless.” When it came to Kate’s hair and make-up, the photographer was keen for a less is more approach, with a loose hair style and little make-up.

Secret snaps

The photographer also revealed that for some of the images he took, he persuaded Kate to dance and twirl across the floor – something she’s rarely done in public. He said: “In the end I wanted to take some moving pictures, so with that wonderful wide skirt I made her dance in front of my lens, a sort of accelerated waltz mixed with a pinch of rock ‘n’ roll.” But unfortunately, he says these dancing images are likely to remain private and have not been released.

After the shoot, the photographer was left with a set of around 250 pictures, which he whittled down to 30. He says he and Kate then worked together to choose the three final portraits. The Italian newspaper suggests that Prince William and their children’s favourite shot is the one where she looks directly into the camera.

The photos, part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Coming Home exhibition, went on display in Berkshire, where Kate grew up. They were also put on display in St Andrews, where she met Prince William, and Anglesey, their first marital home.

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What project, client, or personal endeavor has been the most fulfilling or enjoyable to work on?

I did a series of portraits during lockdown in the summer of 2021, going into 2022. That project was born out of boredom and being at home—given the changing lockdown rules, I saw it as an opportunity to do something creative. What started as photographing my friends kind of blew up into people wanting to participate in this random lockdown photo project.

That was one of my favorites, just because of the community connection. With that summer as well, it was unclear how we would move forward in terms of lockdowns and stuff in New Zealand, so I wanted a more aspirational approach and talk to people about what they were looking forward to post-lockdown, as opposed to focusing on all the negative aspects present at that time.

How was your experience with your first solo exhibition, “Community Service: Family Portraits”?

It was great. I went into that project really confident—it was, in some ways, an extension of the front yard series I’d done in 2021. The theme of that project was ‘community service,’ specifically in relation to Pacific artists. Being a Pacific Islander, you might think of service as family or in a church. But one question I wanted to pose and answer was, “What does that service look like as a creative, as an artist?” For me, it was providing photos and capturing moments that the community really values—and took the form of family photos that people usually have to pay thousands of dollars for. Not everyone has disposable income for that, so it was cool to do.