Celebrity2 min(s) read
Kate Middleton's photographer said she was 'fearful' before photoshoot as she wasn't used to posing
Kate Middleton's photographer has opened up about his portrait shoot of the royal for her 40th birthday.
Kensington Palace released three new photos on Sunday of the Duchess of Cambridge posing at London's Kew Gardens in Alexander McQueen gowns.
Now, photographer Paolo Roversi has given the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera the inside scoop on what it was like working with Kate.
Their creative process began in November when Kate invited Roversi for afternoon tea at Kensington Palace, Hello! Magazine reports.
During the meeting, the royal revealed that she was actually very nervous about the shoot.
"At first the Duchess was apprehensive. Every day she is machine-gunned by photographers but not used to posing," said Roversi.
The photographer - who has worked with supermodels including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell - added that "knowing my photos with the models she was a bit fearful in facing a real session, which then required about four hours of work.
"But once she started it would be very easy, I reassured her."
When the day of the shoot arrived, Roversi stayed true to his word. He made Kate feel so comfortable in front of the camera that he even persuaded her to dance while wearing an organza McQueen dress.
"In the end, I wanted to take pictures in motion, so with that wonderful wide skirt I made her dance in front of my lens, a kind of accelerated waltz mixed with a pinch of rock 'n roll," he recalled.
Of the 250 photos Roversi took of the duchess, only three have been released so far.
Two are black and white shots of the royal, while the final snap is a color photo of her beaming at the camera in a one-shouldered red gown.
The posing and lighting of the birthday portraits are believed to be inspired by 19th-century photography, which Kate studied during her undergraduate years at the University of St Andrews.
In particular, the black and white photos pay tribute to Cecil Beaton's portraits of the Queen and the Queen Mother.
All three images will appear as part of the National Portrait Gallery's nationwide 'Coming Home' exhibition. They'll be shown in three locations important to Kate: Berkshire, St Andrews, and Anglesey.