This photo showing up in your FB feed would send Wills and Kate straight to Grand Rapids
For years they ducked and dived whenever flashbulbs went off. But to mark their engagement, the royal couple recently got cozy with celebrity snapper Mario Testino.
The Peruvian-born photographer, known for creating some of the most iconic images of Princess Diana, shot portraits of the couple after the announcement of their wedding last month. “They are in their prime and brimming with happiness,” he said. “I have never felt so much joy as when I see them together.”
(See a photo album of British Royal Weddings.)
The couple selected two shots—one casual, one formal—for public release over the weekend. In the casual photograph (pictured above), they look stunning and carefree in a sea of beige. They both wear jeans, with William in a shirt and sweater from Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli, and Kate in a white blouse from British retailer Whistles. Judging from William’s dark circles, airbrushing was kept to a minimum.
(Will Kate Middleton’s Family Profit from the Royal Wedding?)
Predictably, the formal shot, which you can see here, appears stiff and slightly forced, and William looks like he’s mumbling through gritted teeth. But Kate looks resplendent wearing a white Reiss dress, Links earrings, and Diana’s engagement ring, with which William proposed. He wore a dark suit from Turnbull and Asser, the exclusive British tailors known for their bespoke shirts.
(Read “Prince Charles and Camilla Attacked by Riot Mob.”)
The release of the pictures will give Kate, poised to become the world’s most photographed woman, a lesson in dealing with Britain’s rather critical media. The Daily Mail barked that William was trying to “keep his mother’s memory alive” by choosing Testino and shooting Kate with her engagement ring. As the paper said: “At the very least, it shows a lack of imagination. At worst, it’s downright creepy.” They also criticized her decision to wear Reiss—an accessible high street brand: “It’s a good mid-priced label, but for an image that will go around the world. . . she should have been in something a little more special.” (via BBC)