Kate Middleton has been given a new patronage by her reigning grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Duchess of Cambridge is poised to take over the Queen’s role as patron of the Royal Photographic Society, a position held by the monarch since 1952.
Photography is known to be an area of great personal interest to the Duchess, in addition to children’s issues, mental health support work and nature.
WATCH this video to see the Duchess of Cambridge at a photography workshop in London yesterday!
Kate’s passion for photography is thought to stem from her time at the University of St Andrews where she graduated with a master in art history, and, incidentally, first met Prince William.
Kensington Palace said in a statement yesterday: “The Duchess has a longstanding interest in photography, and this patronage will further highlight the beneficial impact that art and creativity can have on emotional wellbeing, particularly for children and young people.”
The Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853, receiving royal patronage from Queen Victoria – Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great-grandmother – and her husband Prince Albert.
Prior to her patronage, the Duchess of Cambridge was named an honorary member of the society in 2017.
To celebrate the announcement, the Duchess stopped by Warren Park Children’s Centre in Kingston-upon-Thames, south west London for a photography workshop run by the Royal Photographic Society and Action for Children, another of Kate’s’ patronages.
The mother-of-three made the most of the balmy British weather in a light paisley print dress from Ridley London.
The Duchess teamed the pretty frock with her favourite pair of Castaner ‘Carina’ wedges and a dainty pair of gold leaf earrings from Catherine Zoraida, Daily Mail reports.
An enthusiastic amateur photographer, Kate, 37, often gets behind the lens to take artistic shots of her and Prince William’s three children, Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 4 and one-year-old Prince Louis.
In April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took to their official Instagram account, Kensington Royal, to share two stunning photos of little Louis taken at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, to mark his first birthday.
One week later, the Duchess returned to social media to share a series of snaps of her only daughter Princess Charlotte in the garden of Anmer Hall.
The news of Kate’s new patronage comes as she and Prince William shocked royal fans by splitting from the Royal Foundation, their joint charity initiative with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The British Sun revealed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex refused to be “controlled” by the Duke of Cambridge, and have taken the decision to bow out of the charity founded by Prince Harry and William in 2009 because they “won’t slot in line”.
Initially dubbed the ‘Fab Four’, William and Kate first sparked whispers of disharmony with Harry and American-born Meghan shortly after the Sussexes’ fairytale royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May last year.
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