Share and Follow
Renowned royal photographer Chris Jackson has shared his insights into the lives of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, noting that the young royals are becoming increasingly aware of their unique upbringing.
During an event at N. Peal on the Upper East Side, Jackson discussed his latest book, “Modern Majesty: The British Royal Family in a New Era,” with Page Six. He reflected on the rare glimpses he gets into the lives of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“It’s a delight to see them growing up,” Jackson noted, speaking of the children who are now 12, 11, and 7 years old, respectively. Despite their limited public appearances, their development is evident to those who follow the royal family closely.
Jackson has observed that the young royals are gradually coming to terms with the fact that their experiences differ vastly from those of typical children. “They must be starting to understand that events like Trooping The Colour aren’t part of a usual childhood,” he remarked.
“I’m guessing they realize it’s not normal to be in these situations,” he said, referring to their royal appearances like Trooping The Colour.
“It’s lovely to see them interacting together,” he added.
While Charlotte is the spitting image of her dad, Jackson described her as a mini version of Kate.
“She’s got great poise,” he said of the little princess.
Jackson was particularly touched by a candid snapshot of Charlotte that he captured during her carriage ride at the 2024 Trooping the Colour.
“She had quite a kind of a sense of focus in this picture,” Jackson said of the photo, which is included in his new book, adding, “I love that moment.”
Jackson recalled another “particularly funny” moment caught on his camera at the 2025 VE Day parade when George’s siblings were “joking about his hair.”
“I get all these kind of little moments,” Jackson said, sharing that it’s lovely that he gets a front seat view of George’s “father-son relationship” with the Prince of Wales.
“Photographing them over the years has been really special,” he said.
Jackson divulged that shooting the portrait for Charles’ 70th birthday was his “most unusual royal shoot.”
“I had one of the people from the palace dress up as a bear,” he recalled. “Everyone was chuckling and laughing.”
“It made a lovely kind of candid moment with the children, which was kind of a contrast to the more formal picture that you need for history,” he added.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jackson shared some insights into Charles’ playful personality.
“He has an incredible ability to connect with people from different cultures around the world,” Jackson said. “He’s always got a joke or, you know, something that’s going to make the person he’s talking to feel relaxed.”
As for his experience working with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Jackson said he had “a great experience photographing them both.”
“There’s all these different characters in the royal family,” he explained. “So I’ve always enjoyed photographing them.”