British royal Kate launches book of portraits to remember pandemic

Reuters

Published Mar 28, 2021 00:09

LONDON (Reuters) - Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, on Sunday launched a book of photographic portraits taken during Britain's COVID-19 lockdowns that she said would provide a lasting record of the pandemic.

Kate, who is married to Prince William, the Queen's grandson and second in line to the throne, began the project with the National Portrait Gallery last year, inviting people to submit photos taken during Britain's first coronavirus lockdown.

A panel of judges including Kate chose 100 portraits from over 31,000 entries, which were shown in digital and community exhibitions before the book was announced.

"Through 'Hold Still', I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing – to capture individuals' stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic," Kate wrote in the introduction to the book.