Kate MiddletonTwo other royal family members were honored in photos taken to celebrate her 40th birthday. The pictures show Middleton, who is always stylish, wearing stunning Alexander McQueen ball gowns as well as some very special jewelry.
Kate Sports Royal Familyheirlooms for Photo Shoot
In one photo, the duchess wore a bright red gown and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Frame Earrings. She’s worn the earrings several times before. The two other pictures, both in black and white, show Middleton in two different white dresses.
Both dresses are paired with the Collingwood Pearl Earrings by Middleton, which were once owned by Princess Diana, her mother-in-law. The earrings were gifted to Diana in 1981 before she married Prince Charles. Middleton wore them many times.
Middleton also appeared to be wearing Diana’s triple-strand pearl bracelet, along with her iconic sapphire engagement ring, for the photoshoot, done by photographer Paolo Roversi. While the accessories paid tribute to her in-laws, the dresses were true to Middleton’s personal style.
All three dresses were Alexander McQueen and designed by Sarah Burton. Burton is one of Middleton’s favorite designers; she was the creative force behind Middleton’s 2011 wedding dress.
Diana and the queen weren’t the only family members represented in the duchess’ birthday photos. Roversi shared the fact that Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Prince George chose one of the photos. It shows Middleton in a close-up shot wearing a one shoulder white gown.
Photographer Thinks Pictures Show A ‘Different’ Side Of Middleton
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Roversi revealed that each of the three portraits shows a “different” side of the duchess. The black and white profile shot of Middleton “is regal and has a maturity that goes beyond her age, and the white dress dampens the seriousness of an effigy.”
Meanwhile, the photo of Middleton in a red dress is “a little more glamorous.” Roversi said that he wanted to give the portraits a “contemporary” feel, using “only natural light, little makeup, and no hairstyle.”
The portraits will be added to the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery, where Middleton is Patron. The Gallery will reopen on 2023. Middleton’s photographs will be part the Coming Home project, which sends portraits of well known individuals to places they are closely connected with.
The duchess’ pictures will be displayed this year in three places close to Middleton’s heart: Berkshire, St. Andrews, and Anglesey. Berkshire is where Middleton was raised, St. Andrews is where William met her, and Anglesey, where the young couple spent their first few decades of marriage, is where they reside.
