Kate Middleton uses these three cameras to take her family photos: Here’s where to buy them

The royal is a self-professed amateur photographer

Kate takes pictures with cameras made by these trusted brands (PA/The Independent )

The Duchess of Cambridge is known to have many hobbies, from sailing and gardening to baking. But there is one pastime in particular that Kate has taken to the next level, and that is her love of photography.

Listed as an interest on her official royal bio, the duchess is a self-professed “enthusiastic amateur photographer” and regularly documents her family's big moments.

As well as being an honorary member of the Royal Photographic Society, Kate often shares personal photographs of her three children on special occasions, from their birthdays to their first days of school – much to the delight of royal fans.

She has also been spotted on several occasions holding her own camera, including during a royal tour of Pakistan in 2019 and, most recently, to promote her Hold Still photography project being turned into a book.

The royal launched the initiative during lockdown and asked the public to submit their images that best captured the period. Hold Still attracted more than 31,000 entries from photographers of all ages, with 100 final images later chosen to appear in a digital exhibition as well as in community exhibitions across the UK.

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Now it has been revealed the 100 images will be collated in a new book to showcase the power of photography and create a lasting record of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But which camera does the duchess use to capture her personal pictures? It turns out that the royal has two firm favourite brands and we’ve found the exact models that she owns so you can follow in her footsteps to become a budding amateur photographer.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Fujifilm X-T3 mirrorless digital camera: £999, Amazon.co.uk

(Fujifilm)

Together with the National Portrait Gallery, Kate is launching a new book titled Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, which will be available in UK bookshops and online from Friday 7 May.

To promote the book, Kate shared a photo of herself on the Kensington Royal Instagram account showing her posing with her go-to camera, the Fujifilm X-T3.

A high-performance premium camera, the X-T3 has been designed to cater to all your photography and videography needs, with features including face-detection, enhanced viewfinder performance and a robust magnesium alloy body that is ready for the toughest of conditions.

While we haven’t put this exact model to the test, the Fujifulm X100V (£1,299, Johnlewis.com) was named our best buy in our round-up of the best mirrorless cameras. “We adore the classic design of this model which harks back to film cameras from a few decades back,” our reviewer said.

(Fujifilm)

“Sticking with the retro theme, it offers a film simulation mode in which clever software recreates the look of Fuji’s classic analogue film brands of the past such as Velvia and Provia.” They added that this model is definitely one for fans of street photography.

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Canon powershot G12 (used): £317.88, Amazon.co.uk

(Canon)

Kate was first spotted with a Canon powershot G12 camera back in 2011, when she and William visited Canada after their royal wedding. In 2012, she used the same camera to take pictures during a private walk through the Borneo rainforest in Malaysia, and later released seven photographs to the public.

Unfortunately, this model has been discontinued by Canon but if you really want to own the exact camera Kate loves, you can still find used models on Amazon and eBay.

Alternatively, we recommend investing in a later version of the camera: the Canon powershot G7 X mark III (£749.99, Canon.co.uk), which featured in our round-up of the best compact cameras.

(Canon)

After putting the gadget to the test on several shoots, our reviewer said the camera provided “excellent image quality in a range of conditions”. “With 4K video shooting, this is a popular camera with YouTubers and vloggers and it’s easy to see why,” they said. “We particularly liked its simple-to-use layout and ergonomics, which will be familiar to both existing Canon users and traditional compact camera users too, with its built-in rotating wheel on the top-right of the camera for selecting different modes.”

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Canon EOS 5D mark II (used): £380, Amazon.co.uk

(Canon)

Do you remember the adorable snaps Kate shared in 2015 of Prince George holding his newborn sister Princess Charlotte? Well, thanks to the EXIF information on some of her portraits, it was revealed that Kate used her more professional camera – the Canon EOS 5D Mark II – to take them.

Canon states that the model is ideal for photographing everything from “street reportage to location portraiture and landscapes in the evening light”. This particular model has also been discontinued, so your only hopes of owning it are to opt for a used version.

The manufacturer has, however, released a newer version of the camera – the Canon EOS 5D mark IV will set you back a whopping £2,869.99 (Canon.co.uk).

(Canon)

If your budget doesn’t quite stretch, the Canon EOS M50 (£649, Currys.co.uk) is a great alternative. Although it’s not a DSLR like Kate’s, it featured in our round-up of the best mirrorless cameras, with our tester saying: “This model appears a lot more like a traditional DSLR than many others in our round-up, but with a body less than 12cm across in size, it will fit into your hand.”

(Canon)

“The electronic viewfinder on top of the body only adds to the look and the APS-C sized 24.2 MP sensor gives DSLR-quality results too. Bloggers will love the big flip-around viewing screen and 4K video capabilities, while keen photographers will appreciate the 10 frames-per-second shooting ability and wifi connectivity.”

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Can’t decide which model to go for? Read our extensive camera buying guide for everything you need to know