Queen Camilla praises Kate Middleton – who shot her Country Life magazine cover – as an ‘extremely good’ photographer who keeps it ‘very casual’ in resurfaced clips… amid Mother’s Day photo blunders

An old video of Queen Camilla praising the Princess of Wales’s “relaxed” and “natural” approach to her Country Life photoshoot has resurfaced in light of Kate Middleton’s Mother’s Day photo blunder.

The King’s wife, 75, spoke in an ITV documentary about her cover for the magazine, which was shot by the then Duchess of Cambridge in the summer of 2022.

“She does it very naturally… we had a lot of fun with it,” Camilla revealed.

‘It was very relaxed and of course very friendly: the Duchess of Cambridge came with her camera.’

She called Kate an “extremely good photographer,” added that it was “all very casual,” and joked that there was “not a lot of hair and makeup.”

“It was just out in the garden and there was a lot of laughter,” the Queen added. ‘It was a nice way to do it.

“Catherine said if there was anything that needed to be done, she would be happy to do it.”

At the time, Kate – who is an avid photographer and has taken several official portraits of her three children – was described by the magazine as a ‘consummate professional’.

The then Duchess of Cornwall was seen relaxing in the country retreat of Ray Mill House in Lacock, Wiltshire.

The photo taken by Kate appeared in the July issue of the publication, just ahead of Camilla’s historic 75th birthday on July 17.

According to a royal source, it was Camilla’s idea to ask Kate to take the photo, and Country Life managing and editor-in-chief Paula Lester has said the publication “couldn’t be happier with the results” of the photo shoot.

She added: ‘In fact, the range of photos she took were so good that we struggled to choose just three, from which the Duchess of Cornwall made her final choice.’

According to Paula, Kate took the job ‘very seriously’ and was ‘incredibly professional’ about the task.

“She called me to discuss our wishes for the cover and then put together a series of beautifully shot images,” Paula explains.

Meanwhile, the magazine’s editor Mark Hedges said everyone was raving about the photos which captured Camilla ‘magnificently’. He added that the magazine would be “delighted” to offer Kate another commission.

It comes as, in a stunning move, Kate admitted yesterday that she had ‘edited’ an image of herself celebrating Mother’s Sunday with her children.

The princess said in a rare personal message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she ‘occasionally experimented’ as an ‘amateur photographer’.

She apologized for the “confusion” the photo had caused after six global photo agencies sensationally withdrew the image from their cell towers and libraries – an unprecedented response to an official royal photo – amid fears that “the source manipulated the image ‘.

The agencies’ murder announcements added fuel to the fire, as a litany of conspiracy theories about Kate’s health continue to swirl.

There were questions about everything from why Princess Charlotte’s wrist didn’t match the sleeve of her cardigan, to Prince Louis’ strange fingers.

The photo of Kate and her children, which Prince William took at the parental home in Windsor on Friday, was the first to be published since her abdominal surgery in January.

While the couple has regularly released something personal to mark Mother’s Day, it was hoped the photo would also quell cruel speculation on social media about the nature of the princess’s condition.

Instead, the royal blunder resulted in another public explosion of conspiracy theories.

The princess publicly took the blame for the uproar, writing: ‘Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing.

“I wanted to apologize for any confusion the family photo we shared yesterday caused.

‘I hope everyone who celebrated had a happy Mother’s Day. C.’

Kensington Palace said it would not reissue the unedited photo of Kate and her children, which in itself sparked further debate.

Last night the Palace faced increasing pressure over the debacle, with claims it has damaged public confidence. The row overshadowed yesterday’s coronation service at Westminster Abbey, which was led for the first time by Queen Camilla – accompanied by Prince William – in the king’s absence while he underwent cancer treatment. His Majesty instead recorded a video message for the first time.

Yesterday, Kate was spotted in the backseat of a car with her husband as he left Windsor to travel to London for two public engagements. It is understood she was on her way to a ‘private appointment’ and was not accompanying William in public.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that her ‘sudden appearance is not a dignified response’ to what happened.

He said: ‘When journalists said they wanted to ‘see’ Catherine, no one, as I understand it, meant it this way. A sudden appearance, which she has just made, is a knee-jerk reaction that lacks what royals should have, which is dignity.

“This case has also overshadowed Commonwealth Day. There should never have been two and a half months where she seemed to disappear; we should have felt like we were in touch at times, while what was important was that she felt she had kept her privacy.

‘William and Catherine are under enormous pressure, which is especially devastating when someone has been as seriously ill as they have. However, the photo editing mistake, while extremely embarrassing, is not a major disaster.

‘It shows that she is looking good again and that her children look very happy. However, their current handling of public relations is potentially dangerous.

“What the small but growing number of Republicans want is to mock the monarchy.

‘While Queen Elizabeth was alive this was virtually impossible. The ill health and crises faced by the Sussexes and Yorks have given them good opportunities. Public relations in the palaces must be responsive and disciplined, which is clearly not the case. William and Catherine are the world’s most glamorous and high-profile royal couple.

‘They need dignity to continue to do good for their charities and project soft power in a way no one else can do for Britain.

“They need to put this embarrassing episode behind them and appear confident in public. It will take time and common sense to keep in touch, people will respond…’