Charles and Camilla trusted a little-known royal photographer with their annual Christmas card shot (Image: © Photograph by Millie Pilkington for Buckingham Palace)
Being a member of the means living in front of the camera – with new portraits released to mark celebrations such as Christmas and Easter and landmark announcements, including that was after his cancer diagnosis in April.
But less is known about the people behind the lens – and one person in particular is responsible for a number of the recent insights into life inside the Firm.
Millie Pilkington, who snapped the photograph shared by the King and Queen alongside a message tonight, wasn’t always the go-to for public events and announcements at Buckingham Palace.
In fact, the Dorset-based photographer, who specialises in wedding and children’s portraits, was brought into the fold through the Middleton family – first working with Kate’s mum Carole, who hired her to take pictures for her business Party Pieces.
She went on to photograph William and Kate on their wedding day – including the couple’s official wedding portrait, which was shared for the first time in April to mark their 13th anniversary.
Her first brush with royalty was “surreal, magical and terrifying,” she told Sheerluxe.com, adding: “It was the most incredible honour – I still struggle to believe I was there.”
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Millie Pilkington is the eye behind a number of recent royal photographs (Image: Getty)
Ms Pilkington has since become a firm favourite of the Princess of Wales, recruited for portraits of Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, and a sweet shot of all three gathered around to mark Father’s Day last June.
The freelancer’s website hails her ability to “capture the spirit of a moment … [giving] her images an emotional truth and beauty that can be profoundly affecting”.
And it’s no surprise that the King and Queen chose her to take their new Christmas shot – taken in the garden of Buckingham Palace back earlier this year – as she also did the honours of snapping a photo of the couple walking through the palace grounds that was shared to mark the first anniversary of the coronation in April.
Even more recently, Ms Pilkington to celebrate a photograph she took of the king and queen being projected onto the Sydney Opera House to mark their arrival in Australia in October.
“Most definitely a career highlight for me,” she wrote. “Thank you, your Majesties, for entrusting me to take this portrait for Australia. Feeling truly honoured.”
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The freelance photographer is a firm favourite of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Image: Millie Pilkington)
A rare also shed some light on the photography pro’s life away from the camera – including an unexpected stint as a saxophone player in a Spanish pop group in Madrid.
“Working with the royals is obviously an immense honour,” she told the publication, “Something in my wildest dreams I never thought I’d be doing when I embarked on my photography career.
“Obviously, with this comes a huge responsibility and that in itself can be quite stressful … Thankfully, they are expert at making you feel at ease, which enables me to shed my nerves and focus on the shoot.”