camilla kate smiley© Photo: Getty Images

Duchess Camilla reveals close bond with Duchess Kate: 'There were a lot of laughs'

Prince Charles' wife commended Kate's photography skills

July 11, 2022

The Duchess of Cornwall was full of praise for the Duchess of Cambridge, after Kate photographed her for the cover of Country Life magazine. 

MORE: Kate Middleton photographs the Duchess of Cornwall at home

Camilla, who celebrates her 75th birthday next Sunday, described how much she enjoyed working with Kate on the shoot in her upcoming ITV documentary, Camilla's Country Life.

"She did really good pictures and you know she does it very naturally… we had a lot of fun doing it," Camilla said.

WATCH: Prince William and Kate view stunning portrait of themselves

"It was very relaxed and of course very kind of the Duchess of Cambridge… she's an extremely good photographer and it was all very casual, there wasn't much hair and make-up – it was just done in the garden with a lot of laughs – it was a lovely way of doing it."

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MORE: Duchess Camilla reveals one of her favourite features at home with Prince Charles

The magazine asked Prince Charles' wife to edit the publication to mark its 125th anniversary and her milestone birthday, and in turn, she commissioned Kate to take two portraits of her for the special issue.

camilla on country life magazine cover

The Duchess is featured on the cover of Country Life and also commissioned articles for the special issue

The photos were taken in the gardens at Ray Mill House, Camilla's Wiltshire retreat, which she bought after divorcing her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles in 1994.

READ: See inside Prince Charles and Camilla's sustainable £1.2million Welsh home 

Kate photographed Camilla smiling down the lens with a trug filled with pelargoniums, while she sat on a bench surrounded by the lush greenery of her country estate.

The Duchess says that she enjoyed the laidback, 'relaxed' shoot

This is not the first time the Duchess of Cambridge has taken official portraits for a special occasion, however: she usually acts as royal photographer for her own children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to mark their birthdays, first days at school, and other important milestones.

READ: What Kate Middleton was like to work with on her magazine photoshoot

Kate is also the patron of the Royal Photographic Society and a keen amateur photographer, but this was the first time she photographed Camilla for an official magazine shoot.

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