Following the announcement of Meghan’s Markle’s first foray into children’s literature, Kate Middleton has today shared further glimpses of her much anticipated Hold Still photobook.
Available from 7 May, the Duchess of Cambridge began the project exactly a year earlier with the goal of documenting life during the Covid-19 pandemic.
All proceeds from the book are going to the Mind charity and the National Portrait Gallery, of which the Duchess is a patron.
A keen photographer herself, Middleton launched the campaign during the country’s first national lockdown, asking the public to submit images depicting their lives during the period.
The finished book features 100 “poignant and personal” images hand-selected from more than 31,000 entries by the Duchess and a panel of judges.
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With the aim to capture a “portrait of the nation” during the coronavirus crisis, the images were first put on display for a digital exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
Now, the exhibition has been turned into a coffee table book with an introduction written by Kate. “Through Hold Still, I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing,” she writes, “to capture individuals’ stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic.”
Announcing on Wednesday the launch of their own YouTube channel, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were filmed flicking through the pages of Kate’s book on their Instagram page, with the caption: “Coming this Friday #HoldStill2020.”
Here, we’ve detailed everything you need to know about the photobook, including how to pre-order it on Amazon so you don’t miss out on snapping up a copy for your coffee table.
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‘Hold still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020’ by The Duchess of Cambridge, published by the National Portrait Gallery: £17.55, Amazon.co.uk
(The National Portrait Gallery)
Though an avid photographer herself, Kate’s work doesn’t feature in the 168-page book – although she has written the foreword.
“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,” she writes.
“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.”
The charitable venture will see funding put toward supporting mental health projects across the UK, including the National Portrait Gallery’s education and community projects as well as Mind’s work in local communities.
In addition to the final 100 images, the photobook looks back on highlights from the community exhibition that saw the portraits on billboards and outdoor poster sites in 80 towns and cities in October last year.
Building up to the release date, the Duchess has shared a series of images from the book on her Instagram, including a Black Lives Matter protestor holding a sign reading “be on the right side of history”, as well as a child kissing their godmother through the window.
Other emotive images include a care worker in PPE tending to a client and an image of Sir Captain Tom Moore after completing 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday.
The book is available to pre-order now, or to buy from tomorrow, for your own snapshot of life in the midst of a pandemic.
Pre-order now – available 7 May
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