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Royal photographer Arthur Edwards said on Hello! magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast that he arranged for Princess Kate to receive a camera after she asked about his during a 2012 visit to the Solomon Islands. Edwards said he kept his role in the gift from Prince William at the time; Kate later became known for taking and sharing photographs.
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards says he helped start Princess Kate’s photography hobby by arranging a camera for her after she asked about his during a 2012 visit to the Solomon Islands. Speaking on A Right Royal Podcast, Edwards said he kept his role in the gift from Prince William, who later noticed Kate had a camera like his.
Edwards recalled that he showed Kate his camera during the Solomon Islands visit and explained what it could do. He said she responded that she would like one, prompting him to contact the camera company and ask it to send her a camera. The account comes from Edwards’s own recollection, shared while he is promoting his book, Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family.
Edwards said that at a later royal engagement in Bhutan, he and the royal couple came down a mountain while he was taking pictures with his camera. He recalled Prince William remarking that Kate had one just like it. Edwards said he did not reveal that he had arranged for her to receive it.
Kate is now known for taking photographs and has shared images through royal social media channels. The report describes the camera as an early encouragement for her interest, rather than establishing that the gift alone led to her later photography. No date for the Bhutan visit or further details about the camera are provided in the source account.
A Personal Route Into Photography
The story offers a specific account of how Kate’s interest in photography may have developed: a conversation with a photographer during an overseas royal visit, followed by a camera Edwards arranged to be sent to her. It also shows how a member of the royal household can take an interest in documenting events beyond being photographed by professionals.
For readers, the appeal is the contrast between Kate’s public role as a frequent subject of royal photography and her own work behind the camera. Her photographs shared publicly have made that interest visible, while Edwards’s recollection adds a personal origin story. The account remains an anecdote from one participant, not a formal statement from Kate about when or why she began taking pictures.
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From Island Visit to Bhutan
Kate and Prince William met while attending university and have been together for many years, but Edwards’s account focuses on two separate royal trips. The first was a visit to the Solomon Islands in 2012, where he says Kate approached him after seeing his camera. The second was a later trip to Bhutan, when William reportedly recognized that Kate had a similar camera.
Edwards is a royal photographer whose career is the subject of his book. His account was shared on A Right Royal Podcast, produced by Hello! magazine. The source report does not supply a transcript or additional confirmation from the palace, Kate, or William; the details of the exchange and the decision to keep the gift quiet are attributed to Edwards.
“I went over and showed her the camera and showed her what it does and I said, ‘Would you like one?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So I rang the camera company and asked them to send her one.”
— Arthur Edwards, speaking on Hello! magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast
Details the Account Leaves Open
The source gives no exact date for the Bhutan trip, identifies no camera model, and does not say when the camera was delivered. Edwards also said he could not remember the timings precisely. The account does not include a response from Kate or William, or an independent record confirming the private exchange.
It is also unclear how much the camera shaped Kate’s later interest. Edwards describes an early gift and her subsequent photography, but the source does not establish that the gift was the sole or decisive reason she took up the hobby.
Edwards’s Book and Public Images
Edwards is promoting Cup of Tea, Arthur?, which recounts his decades photographing the royal family, and the podcast interview provides the account of the camera gift. The source material does not announce a further interview, palace comment, or related event.
Kate’s photography remains visible through images she shares publicly. Any further details about the camera or how her interest developed would need to come from a future account by Edwards, Kate, or the royal household; none is included in the report.
Key Questions
Who arranged the camera for Princess Kate?
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards said he contacted the camera company after Kate told him she would like one.
When did Edwards say this happened?
He placed the conversation during a 2012 visit to the Solomon Islands. He did not give a more precise date for the exchange.
Did Prince William know about the gift?
Edwards said he did not tell William that he had arranged the camera. He recalled William noticing later in Bhutan that Kate had a camera like Edwards’s.
Is Kate known to take photographs?
Yes. The source report says Kate has become a keen photographer and has shared her own images on social media. It does not specify when she began taking photographs regularly.
Source: marieclaire.com
