Here’s one grandpa took!
Official royal baby portrait ... by Kate’s dad
Bathed in summer sunshine, Kate and William pose with baby George for his first ‘official’ portrait. In a remarkable break with royal tradition, it was taken by Kate’s father Michael at the Middleton family home in Berkshire
A FUTURE king sleeps peacefully in the arms of his doting mother in a family snapshot . . . taken by his grandfather.
Previous royal heirs, Prince William included, have had their first official portraits taken by society legends such as Sir Cecil Beaton and Lord Snowdon.
But Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge owes his to a humble ‘point and shoot’ wielded by Kate’s father, Michael Middleton.
And the setting? The Middletons’ sundappled back garden in Berkshire, with family pets Lupo and Tilly getting in on the act.
The finished result may have charm but is technically poor and lacks the gravitas of previous official photographs, according to experts.
Critics will also no doubt seize on Mr Middleton’s decision to break the cardinal rule of photography – shooting into the light.
But according to celebrity photographer Brian Aris, the snapshots are ‘refreshing’. He told the Mail: ‘It’s an unusual decision but perhaps reflects the young approach that Prince William wants to bring to bear.
‘The decision to take them in such an informal manner means they, perhaps, lack the level of gravitas that would normally be expected.
‘But on the whole I would say this is quite refreshing.’
He added: ‘Taking a professional portrait of a young baby is quite an intrusive procedure, given the lighting and strobes you would need.
‘So perhaps they have had the right idea after all. It’s just a different approach and the images are rather charming.’
Kensington Palace said the photographs were taken with an inexpensive camera in early August while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were staying with internet millionaires Carole and Michael Middleton at their £ 4.8million mansion.
Both photos show the couple posing with George, who is swaddled in the same shawl by Nottinghamshire firm G H Hurt and Son Ltd that he left hospital in.
A glowing Kate is wearing a £46 fuchsia- coloured knot front dress by maternity wear firm Seraphine, but appears to have shed a great deal of her baby weight.
William is casually dressed in a blue checked shirt, tucked into jeans, and his favourite Africanstyle belt.
Both look a little baggy-eyed due to lack of sleep – the prince more than his wife – but are clearly overjoyed at being parents to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. According to well-placed sources, William and Kate decided to release Mr Middleton’s family snaps – instead of an official formal royal portrait – because they were keen ‘not to burst the happy little family bubble’ they have existed in at the Middleton family home. ‘They are a young couple who have just had their first baby and are enjoying time as a family together but, of course, there has been huge demand from the public to see some official photographs of Prince George,’ said an aide.
‘It seemed perfectly natural to them to pose for a few nice family snapshots which they could then issue. ‘The formal portraits will all come when Prince George is christened in a few months.’ The Mail understands the couple were also keen to take the wind out of the sails of the huge international market for unofficial paparazzi pictures of George by releasing their own as soon as possible.