From hosting lavish events and galas to extending a helping hand to people in need, the British royal family adds a special touch to whatever it does.
Recently, one of the royal family members took to the streets of London to hide her newly released photography book. Any guesses? Well, she’s none other than Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
On May 7, 2021, Kate Middleton launched a new photography book named, Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, featuring 100 moving pictures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the same day, she took to Instagram to share a short video of herself hiding a copy of the book with an exclusive note near the fountain at Kensington Palace.
Want to know what that note said? Well then, stick with us till the end (*wink).
Unfolding Middleton’s secret message in Hold Still
To mark the launch of her book, the Duchess of Cambridge collaborated with “The Book Fairies,” a U.K.-based organization that promotes sharing books by hiding them in discoverable places. She hid 150 copies of her book with the secret letter in different spots across the country.
On Friday, a Twitter user named Krish shared a post about his housemate finding a copy of the same hidden in London’s Van Gogh Walk. Along with the book’s picture, Krish posted Middleton’s private letter typed on the Kensington Palace stationery.
In the letter, the Duchess had revealed that the portraits date back to last year when the U.K. was under its first COVID-19 lockdown. She regarded the images not only as an exemplar of people’s hardships but as a reminder of the power of unity and the wonders it can do.
The 39 year-old-royal said she felt exceptionally proud of working with the “National Portrait Gallery” and “The Book Fairies.” While concluding, she requested the readers to place the book somewhere in their community where others can easily find it and signed off as “H.R.H The Duchess of Cambridge.”
As per reports, the proceeds from the sale of Middleton’s book would split between “Mind,” a mental health charity, and the “National Portrait Gallery.”
The backdrop of Hold Still
Since 2020, the Duchess of Cambridge has spoken to several Hold Still finalists, including a little girl featured in the picture “Shielding Mila.” On May 5, 2021, the Kensington Palace shared Middleton’s phone call with Mila on Kate and Prince William’s new YouTube channel.
In August 2020, the Duchess of Cambridge called Mila, a four-year-old girl undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, to know about her photograph, where she waived at her father from the other side of the window.
During her conversation, the royal learned that Mila and her mother Lynda had to live in a separate house away from her father Scott and elder sister Jodi to keep her safe during the treatment. She also found out that Mila loved the color pink. The mother of three promised Mila that whenever she meets her, she will wear a pink-colored outfit.