Royal Photographer Admits He ‘Struggled’ Trying to Take Pictures of Rowdy Prince Louis
Royal fans got quite a treat in June 2022 during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. In addition to all the public festivities that were held to celebrate the monarch’s incredible 70 years on the throne, one of her great-grandsons showed off his big personality.
Prince Louis nearly stole the show from the moment he stepped onto the Buckingham Palace balcony with his family by making funny faces and covering his ears during a flyover. Following the Trooping the Colour parade, Louis was a little superstar during the Platinum Pageant too. But at least one royal photographer “struggled” to get pictures of him.
Photographer says ‘you never know what to expect’ when taking pics of royal children
Chris Jackson is a Getty Images royal photographer who has covered numerous royal weddings, births, christenings, and royal tours. He’s also an author and has won several awards including Royal Photographer of the Year in 2010, 2015, and 2016.
Jackson says he never knows what to expect when taking pictures of the youngest royals.
He previously told Us Weekly: “I just love that you never know what to expect with the sort of younger members of the royal family and that’s what makes it fun. I suppose that translates for a lot of what I do because you don’t control what’s going on in front of you. And so you have to learn to expect the unexpected and [keep] on [your] toes and that adds an element of luck and the element of, you know, some days you get the photo [and] some days you don’t.”
Getting photos of rowdy Prince Louis wasn’t easy
Jackson, who is married to Kate Middleton’s fashion adviser Natasha Arche and has three children of his own, explained why it wasn’t easy getting shots of rambunctious Prince Louis during the Platinum Pageant.
The photographer took to his Instagram Stories and admitted that he had a difficult time shooting Louis because he was laughing so hard at the prince’s antics.
“I was struggling to keep the camera still as I was chuckling whilst taking these photos, what a character,” Jackson wrote per Hello! Magazine.
Was Prince Louis being bratty or just acting his age?
When the Jubilee events concluded, Prince William and Kate Middleton posted a thank you message to everyone who came together to celebrate the milestone writing: “We all had an incredible time, especially Louis” with an eyes emoji. This led some to question if the youngest Cambridge child was being bratty or just acting like any 4-year-old kid.
According to family and marriage therapist Kaitlin Soulé, it’s the latter. She told the New York Post that the way Louis acted was “completely normal and developmentally appropriate” for someone his age.
“With children around his age, part of their developmental task is to push boundaries and figure out how to be in the world. And they can’t do that without pushing boundaries,” Soulé explained. “They are really learning from us and they are mimicking our behavior, and I am sure he’s been shushed plenty of times. They truly learn from our behavior.”
