The Queen offered some kind words of support for Kate Middleton
Earlier this year, Kate Middleton announced she'd be channelling her passion for photography into a project that the nation could get behind – a competition that asked the general public to capture life during the coronavirus pandemic. Back in May, The Duchess of Cambridge officially launched the project, called 'Hold Still', asking for images submitted to fit with one of three core themes: Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness.
Now, the thousands of entrant images have been scrutinised Kate herself and an esteemed judging panel, and have been whittled down to a collection of 100 – which from today are available to view as a digital exhibition via the National Portrait Gallery. In honour of the special display going live, none other than our very own Queen Elizabeth II shared some super sweet words of encouragement and support for Kate and all her hard work.
"It was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to look through a number of the portraits that made the final 100 images for the Hold Still photography project," said The Queen in a statement ahead of the launch. "The Duchess of Cambridge and I were inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time, whether that is through celebrating frontline workers, recognising community spirit or showing the efforts of individuals supporting those in need."
A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Sep 13, 2020 at 11:00pm PDT
Her Majesty added, "The Duchess of Cambridge and I send our best wishes and congratulations to all those who submitted a portrait to the project." The statement was shared on the royal family's official Instagram account, @TheRoyalFamily.
It's believed that Kate and The Queen have had a longstanding close friendship, having been pictured laughing together at events on a number of occasions, so it's wonderful to see her lending public support to the photography competition and subsequent exhibition.
Speaking about the public response to Hold Still, The Duchess previously said she was overwhelmed by the reaction and "the quality of the images [submitted] has been extraordinary". She added, "The poignancy and the stories behind the images have been equally as moving as well."
Kate's passion for photography extends far beyond the competition too, with it being known that she enjoys taking snaps of her young family on special days, such as birthdays and Father's Day. It's thought she does this in order to afford her royal children and husband a greater degree of privacy.
You can view the new exhibition here on the Nation Portrait Gallery's website.
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