Duchess of Sussex was surprisingly tactile, says royal photographer
The Duchess of Sussex was “noticeably” more tactile than the rest of the royals when she joined the family, a royal photographer has revealed.
Samir Hussein, an award-winning photographer who captured the now world-famous picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leaning into each other under an umbrella in 2020 that went viral, described it as “unusual”.
He told The Telegraph: “It was very noticeable when Meghan came on the scene just how tactile she was, like holding the Duke’s hand and being arm-in-arm, so that was quite unusual.”
The Duchess, 42, and the Duke, 39, are known for their displays of affection and hand-holding when out, marking a breakaway from the usual formality seen in royal relationships.
Mr Hussein’s image of the couple looking adoringly at one another in the rain, taken at one of their final engagements before they stepped down as senior royals, will now go on display in London in a new exhibition charting his family’s photography of the monarchy over the years.
The exhibition, titled Princess Diana: Accredited Access, will open at St Katharine Docks, London, on May 25 after successful runs in the US, Australia and Canada.
It is a collection of images taken by the longest-serving royal photographer - and Mr Hussein’s father - Anwar Hussein, as well as those from his and his brother Zak’s collection.
The family passion for photographing the royals spans seven decades during which time the trio have curated a collection of official pictures of five generations of the monarchy.
Anwar Hussein’s pictures of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, remain among the most prominent that chart her public life and her private moments.
“Each photo in the exhibition has a unique, untold story,” Sam said, “and we really explore how Diana changed the world - her influence just on so many things about royal life.
“It shows how she was a royal mum, and modernised motherhood in many ways as a royal by being very hands on and a loving mom and you can see that legacy in William and Harry.
“We also explore how she is the fashion icon and spearheaded a new era of royal fashion in many respects, and also just being such an amazing humanitarian.”
Anwar Hussein’s younger son, Zak, added: “We’re photographing her children now, so bringing that element [to the exhibition] brings a lot to it.”
The two brothers, now in their 40s, spent a lot of their childhood surrounded by royalty because of their father.
Sam Hussein recalled days where they would accompany his father, now 86, to the polo where he would be photographing the-then Prince Charles playing while Princess Diana watched.
“It was very relaxed,” he said, “we would play around and William and Harry would be playing there as well, so we were kind of exposed to all of that from a young age.”
Zak added that their similar ages to the princes meant they could “relate” to them in a different way.
The brothers told The Telegraph that they aim to continue their father’s style of photographing the royal family in a more “candid” manner, catching them in moments between formality rather than always posing for the lens.
He wanted to shoot “more of a human side that makes them more relatable,” Sam Hussein said, adding: “I think that’s something that we’ve tried to continue.”
The exhibition, which will run to Sept 2, displays the family’s photographs in life-size formats and provides a unique audio tour - narrated by both brothers - to guide the experience.
Speaking about the long-running show finally coming to the home of the royals, Zak said: “It just means a lot more being in the UK, where a lot of pictures were taken, it feels like more of a homecoming event.”
Anwar Hussein also credited the exhibition “coming home” to London.
He said: “I am delighted that the images captured, as well as those of my sons, are coming home to London to recognise and memorialise such a remarkable woman and her sons.”
“There are so many memories of our two families connecting and creating a special relationship, which I am pleased to be able to display in such a unique way through the exhibition,” he added.