Kate Middleton typically
turns her camera on her three children — but now she has a new
subject: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The photo appears on the new
cover of British magazine Country Life, which Camilla, who will mark her
75th birthday on July 17, is guest editing. The picture was taken by Kate, 40,
as Camilla relaxed in the garden of her home Raymill in Wiltshire.
In the portrait, Camilla wears
a blue-and-white floral dress and holds a basket filled with pelargoniums,
which are ready to be planted. The passionate gardener — who has been married
to Kate’s father-in-law, Prince Charles, for 17 years — looks
content to be doing the pastime she loves.
A second image, showing
Camilla walking through some forget-me-nots in Raymill’s garden, appears inside
the commemorative edition, which Camilla is editing to mark her
75th birthday and the magazine’s 125th anniversary. The magazine will
be published on July 13.
According to The
Telegraph, when it came time to discuss the cover image, Country Life editor
Mark Hedges asked Camilla if she had any thoughts.
“She immediately replied,
‘Oh I’d quite like Catherine to do it,'” Hedges said.
“I spent the next three
or four minutes desperately racking my brains trying to think of a professional
photographer called Catherine.
“Then suddenly I grasped
what she meant—one of the most amazing things that could happen,” he
continued.
“I found it one of the
easier things to nod my head at.”
A behind-the-scenes shot of
Kate taking Camilla’s photo was also shared on the Duchess of Cornwall’s
Instagram. Dressed casually in jeans and sneakers, the avid photographer is
seen expertly taking her shot.
Country Life editor-in-chief
Mark Hedges said in a statement that the magazine is “thrilled” with
the images.
“We understand this is
the first time a formal portrait of The Duchess of Cornwall has been taken by
The Duchess of Cambridge for a magazine,” Hedges said, “and we are
honored to have been chosen to be the first to publish this beautiful
photograph.”
He added: “The
photographs are superb and we would be delighted to offer The Duchess of
Cambridge another commission!”
