New photo of Kate Middleton released ahead of Duchess of Cambridge’s book of portraits

Book marks one year of life with the pandemic

(PA)

A new photo of the Duchess of Cambridge has been released ahead of a book Kate is publishing with the National Portrait Gallery.

The image shows the duchess laughing in a field while holding a camera.

The new book, titled Hold Still, will mark a year of the pandemic and features 100 images which aim to portray the impact of the crisis.

The project was launched last year and asked people from around the country to submit a photo portrait they’d taken in lockdown one.

The National Portrait Gallery received over 31,000 pictures from the public, and these were whittled down to the final 100 contained in the book by a panel of judges including the Duchess of Cambridge and National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan.

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On Sunday, Kate tweeted via the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s account: "When we look back at the COVID-19 pandemic in decades to come, we will think of the challenges we all faced – the loved ones we lost, the extended isolation from our families and friends and the strain placed on our key workers.

"But we will also remember the positives: the incredible acts of kindness, the helpers and heroes who emerged from all walks of life, and how together we adapted to a new normal.

"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.”

Last year, the final selection of portraits were exhibited for four weeks on billboard and poster sites around the UK, including at bus stops, in high streets and outside train stations.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge viewed the 100 photographs at a billboard exhibition outside Waterloo station in London in October.

The couple also visited St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to meet frontline workers including Joyce Duah, a specialist oncology pharmacist whose photo ‘All In This Together’ was selected as one of the final portraits, and her two colleagues Amelia Chowdhury and Dipal Samuel who feature in the photo.

National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said last year: “The public response to Hold Still has been overwhelming with so many extraordinary photographs submitted from all corners of the UK."

Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020 will be released on 7 May 2021.