Princess Lilibet picks up camera shared with aunt the Princess of Wales
Princess Lilibet, aged five, has taken up photography, an interest she shares with her aunt, Catherine, Princess of Wales. The detail emerged in a birthday photograph shared for her father, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for his 42nd birthday, as reported by Hello! Magazine.
The photograph shows Lilibet holding a Polaroid camera and taking a picture of Harry. Her face is covered with an emoji for privacy. She wears a floral summer dress with her long red hair loose, while Harry wears a straw hat.
It is not the first sign of a camera in her hands. In January, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, shared a video of herself dancing with Harry and credited the filming to "our daughter" in the caption.
Her older brother is also learning the skill. Prince Archie is seven. In 2023, Meghan said Archie, then aged four, had been learning photography from filmmaker Misan Harriman.
The shared interest crosses the family divide. The Princess is known for amateur photography and often takes the official portraits released of her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. In 2020, she told ITV's This Morning she is "very much an amateur photographer" who photographs her children.
That interest is longstanding. The Princess studied History of Art at the University of St Andrews, where she met William, Prince of Wales. She holds three arts patronages, of the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A and the Royal Photographic Society.
What makes this stand out is how ordinary it is. Two young cousins who live very different lives have picked up the same simple hobby.
Lilibet was born in the United States in 2021. She is said to be happy at a new school after the Sussexes returned to the UK in August. It is not believed that the Princess of Wales has ever met Lilibet. Asked shortly after the birth in 2021 whether she had FaceTimed her new niece, the Princess replied: "No, I haven't. No."
