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Timeless, but also very Pre-Raphaelite. There is a mood in the profile photo (which she considers the official one even if it is not from a protocol point of view) of the Duchess that refers to the painting of that English movement of the mid-19th century. To Dante Gabriel Rossetti or to Sir David Coyle Burne-Jones, I refer in particular to that Desiderium drawing of 1873, woman in profile….
"In fact, that's exactly how it is, Kate showed me some reproductions of works by those authors you mention to give me some inspiration, but I have always been a Pre-Raphaelite".
Three photos and three very different Kate. The first, in profile, regal and of a maturity that goes beyond her age and the white dress that dampens the seriousness of an effigy. The second choice by William and his children where a carefree girl returns. The third in color is as you see it, a little more glamorous.
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I did the first skimming, a dozen of her favorites, then we got to 3 of my favorites and one of hers, the official photo is both mine, but also her favorite. But Kate was less determined than me in the last choice. Designer Sarah Burton (Kate's wedding dress hers) chose the dresses: only one was red, the others neutral. For the official portrait she wore the organza one, almost like a classical ballerina. In the end I wanted to take pictures in motion, so with that wonderful wide skirt I made her dance in front of my lens, a kind of accelerated waltz mixed with a pinch of rock'n'roll ". And it is for now a secret image.
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