Her Majesty has appointed the Duchess of Cambridge patron of the Royal Photographic Society. The news came in conjunction with a photo workshop in which Kate participated with the boys from a charity association that follows. Always a passionate photographer, she could not have received a better ‘job’!
After appointing her as Grand Cross Lady of the Victorian Royal Order for services rendered to the Crown, Queen Elizabeth II made another important “gift” to Kate Middleton: the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of the heir to the throne William – the Patronage of the Royal Photographic Society, which Her Majesty held for 67 years. Founded in 1873 to promote the art and science of photography, the Photographic Society in the same year received the patronage of the then sovereign, Queen Victoria, and her husband Albert, thus becoming one of the many associations that revolved around the Windsor home and of which family members are actively involved, with charitable, social, or as in this case, promotion of certain activities.
Kate, as she has always been known, is a great lover of photography. It was she who took the most beautiful official photos of the three children, those shared on the occasion of birthdays, like the last ones, of Louis and Charlotte, as has also always been the case for the eldest son George. “It is a great honour to have the Duchess as patron, especially for her personal interest in photography,” commented Mike Taylor, head of the Royal Photographic Society. “We know that photography and creative activities have a positive impact on people of all ages, and we are excited to work with one of the duchess’s charitable organisations,” concluded Taylor.
Kate, for her part, will surely live up to the new role that awaits her. But it is certainly not on her abilities that thoughts are focused. Beyond the services to the crown or the affection that the queen undoubtedly proves for the acquired niece, these gestures, more and more frequent, resemble a gradual but inexorable handover. At 93, The Queen, can no longer follow everything with the energy of the past: it is up to the new generations to carry on the work, and to the family of William, the future King, in a special way. William grew up knowing that one day he would become king, and his moment doesn’t seem so far away.
