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"I have made her dance in front of the lens."
This is how
Paolo Roversi,
an Italian fashion photographer, tells how the session was where he made three portraits of
Kate Middleton on the occasion of her 40th birthday.
Photographs that will become part of the permanent collection of the
National Portrait Gallery in London.
The greenhouse of
the wonderful Kew Gardens
has been the set where the
three royal portraits have been made.
In these botanical gardens (10 kilometers from London) there are a multitude of collections of plants but also one of the most important collections of seeds, among them
some saved from extinction in 1985 by Sir David Attenborough,
kept in a glass capsule that It will open in 2085.
The beauty model that Kate Middleton represents today
is a classic of certain Renaissance paintings
(such as
'Portrait of a young lady' by Pollaiolo),
but to show us a new image of herself she has chosen a master of photography, creator of iconic images with countless characters from the world of fashion, Paolo Roversi.
The photographer sensed his vocation at the age of 9,
when he shot a photo of his 18-year-old sister prepared for a party.
The Italian born in Ravenna in 1947, has been Parisian since 1973. His is a career fueled by literature, philosophy, theater, music and the work of other colleagues.
Among the celebrities portrayed by him:
Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Natalia Vodianova, Sting, Rihanna, Madonna, Belmondo, Ezra Pound ...
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History of Kate Middleton portraits
The first meeting with Kate Middleton and her staff was
in November 2021, at Kensington Palace,
in a typical five o'clock tea, with pastries.
It is the first Royal Highness that Roversi immortalizes.
Roversi says: "It was a beautiful meeting, and then some beautiful photos. However,
at first the Duchess was suspicious.
Every day the photographers machine-gun her but she is not used to posing; knowing my work with models she was
fearful when it came to
facing a session
that required about four hours of work. "But once we start it will be very easy," I reassured her. And so it was. Kate, who studied Art in Florence, is passionate about photography, in particular
Julia Margaret Cameron and Lewis Carroll,
who also wrote 'Alice in Wonderland' ".
Since 2019,
Middleton has been the patron of the Royal Photographic Society,
taking over from Elizabeth II when she left this role after 67 years.
What light would Roversi use to portray it: natural or artificial?
"
I bet everything on natural light. She, with little makeup, no hairdressing,
simple pearl earrings, a ring ... The focus is on her face,
her eyes and her smile. I did not love her very 'madam' duchess ',
very' establishment ', but as contemporary as possible, timeless. "
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Timeless, yes, but also Pre-Raphaelite.
There is a climate in the profile photo (which Middleton considers the official although it is not from the point of view of protocol) of the Duchess that is reminiscent of the painting of the English movement of the mid-1800s,
Dante Gabriel Rossetti or Sir David Coyle Burne-Jones.
"To give me inspiration, Kate showed me precisely some reproductions of works by these authors, but on the other hand I have always been a Pre-Raphaelite," says Roversi.
The three portraits of Kate Middleton by Paolo Roversi
The result is three photos and
three very different Kate's.
The first, in profile, majestic and of a maturity that goes beyond her real age,
with a white dress that reproduces the seriousness of an effigy.
The second,
chosen by Guillermo and the children of the Duchess,
with her in the skin of
a carefree young woman.
The third, in color, is how she looks,
with some glamor.
"In the official portrait she is a bit like Angelica in Visconti's 'Gatopardo'", emphasizes Roversi.
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What has Kate Middleton's person revealed to Paolo Roversi?
"She is a nice, welcoming woman, who makes you feel comfortable, respectful of everyone's work. She shows joy in living. She
is open, generous, bright,
I think she can bring hope to England and the whole world."
Without a doubt, a privileged condition that of the Duchess, although for Diana it was very different, as the photographer recalls: "Lady Diana lived a drama that made her unhappy,
she is living her fairy tale, without forgetting that she has an enormous responsibility. ,
his every gesture is analyzed under a microscope. "
In December 2021 it was time to select the portraits out of 250, almost all in black and white, which in the end were reduced to about 70. "The first screening was done by me, a dozen of her favorites. Then we came to my three Favorite and one of hers.
The official photo is my favorite, but also hers.
In the last decision, Kate has been less determined than I.
Sarah Burton, the stylist of the session
(creative director of the fashion brand
Alexander McQueen
and designer Kate's wedding dress), she chose three dresses: one red, the other neutral. For the official portrait she wears the organza one, like a classical dancer. I even took some moving photos,
I made her dance in front of the lens with that wonderful skirt wide,
a kind of fast-paced waltz with
a bit of rock'n'roll. '
This is, for now,
the photo that remains secret.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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