Kate says her children tell her to ‘stop taking photographs’ of them

The Duchess of Cambridge revealed her children’s reluctance to let her take their picture during phone call with Hold Still contest finalist

The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed that her children sometimes ask her to “please stop taking photographs” of them.

Kate made the comments while speaking on the phone to a finalist of her Hold Still photography contest.

The duchess is a keen photographer, but she said her and Prince William’s children, George, Charlotte and Louis are sometimes reluctant to let her take their picture.

She was discussing an emotional black-and-white photograph taken by Ceri Edwards of her daughter Poppy hugging her father Mark before his shift as a paramedic in Newport, south Wales.

Kate described the image as showing “strength, courage and resilience”.

During the phone call, which was released on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s YouTube channel on Thursday, Kate and Ceri spoke about the power of photography.

When asked if Ceri’s husband was a photographer, the contest finalist said: “No. Well, Mark would say otherwise just because I do take a lot of pictures of the family.”

Kate laughed and replied: “It’s like me. Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs’.”

Ceri responded: “I know, but I love it. I love looking back. I think when you have children, time seems to go into warp speed, really, and it’s just a lovely thing for me.

“You look back and see how much the children have grown.”

Kate’s Hold Still community project encouraged members of the public to document pandemic life through photographs, focusing on three core themes: Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness.

The project received more than 31,000 submissions from across the country.

A panel of judges selected 100 portraits which have been turned into a digital exhibition hosted by the National Portrait Gallery. The portraits present “a unique and highly personal record of this extraordinary period in our history”.

A book of the portraits has also been published, and net proceeds from the sale of the book will be divided to support the work of the National Portrait Gallery and mental health charity Mind.