Inside Camilla Parker Bowles’ Magazine Cover Shoot With Kate Middleton

TL;DR: 

• Kate Middleton photographed Camilla Parker Bowles for the cover of Country Life magazine’s July 13 issue.
• Camilla Parker Bowles suggested Kate Middleton take her photograph. 
• Kate Middleton, according to the magazine’s editor, made Camilla Parker Bowles feel “relaxed.”

Kate Middleton and Camilla Parker Bowles have teamed up for a magazine photo shoot. The Duchess of Cambridge, a well-known lover of photography, took the Duchess of Cornwall’s portrait for the cover of Country Life magazine. And the magazine’s editor has shared details on Kate and Camilla’s photo shoot. 

Camilla Parker Bowles suggested Kate Middleton take her photo for the magazine’s cover

To mark her birthday on July 17, Camilla guest-edited the July 13 issue of Country Life magazine. And according to The Telegraph (via Newsweek), she had the idea to have Kate take her portrait. 

However, when she suggested “Catherine” take the cover image, it briefly puzzled the magazine’s editor, Mark Hedges.

“She immediately replied, ‘Oh I’d quite like Catherine to do it,'” Hedges said. “I spent the next three or four minutes desperately racking my brains trying to think of a professional photographer called Catherine.”

“Then suddenly I grasped what she meant,” Hedges explained, calling it “one of the most amazing things that could happen.” 

“I found it one of the easier things to nod my head at,” he added.

Kate Middleton and Camilla Parker Bowles had a ‘relaxed’ photo shoot in the British countryside

The Duchess of Cambridge is no stranger to taking family portraits. That, coupled with knowing Camilla, made for an easy atmosphere.

“I don’t think anyone would have made [Camilla] feel so relaxed,” Hedges said of the shoot.

Kate, 40, took Camilla’s photo at Ray Mill House, where Camilla lived prior to marrying Prince Charles. Today, it’s a country retreat for Camilla away from London’s Clarence House.

The Duchess of Cambridge snapped Camilla’s photo in the garden with a basket of cut flowers. And, as Hedges recalled, the sense of ease carried over to hair and makeup too.  

“They didn’t bother too much with hair and make-up,” he said. “They just got some flowers for the garden and got on with it.”

Kate didn’t just take Camilla’s photo for the cover. Another snapshot from the same portrait session is in the pages of Country Life. According to Yahoo Life UK, Kate took another image of Camilla walking through the garden with forget-me-nots nearby.

The Duchess of Cambridge was ‘incredibly professional’ about photographing Camilla

Paula Lester, the magazine’s managing and features editor, opened up about working with Kate. “The Duchess of Cambridge took her commission very seriously and was incredibly professional about the task at hand,” Lester told Yahoo Life UK. 

“She phoned me to discuss our requirements for the cover and subsequently composed a range of beautifully shot images,” she added, saying they “could not be happier with the results.”

“In fact, the set of images she took was so good that we struggled to choose only three, from which the Duchess of Cornwall made her final selection,” Lester shared.

Additionally, Kate’s days of photographing magazine covers might not be over. Hedges said he’d gladly have her back for another photo shoot.

“We are thrilled to have our Guest Editor captured so magnificently by royal photographer The Duchess of Cambridge,” he said. “The photographs are superb and we would be delighted to offer The Duchess of Cambridge another commission!”