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Not all royal news has to involve brothers bickering or house swapping. Today, the U.K.'s Professional Publishers' Association announced that Kate Middleton's portrait of now-Queen Consort Camilla earned its Cover of the Year Award. Last summer, Kate's photograph of Camilla was featured on the cover of Country Life magazine, and Camilla guest-edited the issue before she ascended to the throne alongside her husband, King Charles III this year.
The Professional Publishers' Association (PPA for short), shared the news with a celebratory Instagram post, which explained that the prize was chosen via popular vote and wasn't just something the group thought would be nice to give to Kate. People notes that Camilla's issue was the fastest-selling issue in Country Life history.
“We're thrilled to announce that Country Life has won the Cover of the Year title at the PPA Awards, the 'Oscars' of the magazine world. The winning cover was this one from the 13 July 2022 issue, which was guest-edited by Her Majesty The Queen while she was Duchess of Cornwall,” the PPA Awards team wrote alongside an image of the cover. “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all who voted — it's the only award voted for directly by readers — and also, of course, to HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales, who took the photograph!”
“Not only did the cover help sell more magazines, boost engagement on social media and clicks to the website, it’s a perfect snapshot of what was in fact a compelling and gritty issue,” a statement from the PPA read.
Country Life invited Camilla to guest-edit the special edition as a way to commemorate her 75th birthday on July 17. It was later revealed that she asked Kate to take her photo. Kate, who is no stranger to being on both sides of the camera, is a patron of the Royal Photographic Society and often shoots the royal portraits of her children that are shared on their birthdays every year.
Country Life editor Mark Hedges explained the process of choosing Kate to lens the cover, which came as a shock to him since he wasn't quite sure at first which "Catherine" Camilla was suggesting.
"She immediately replied, 'Oh, I'd quite like Catherine to do it,'" Hedges said, according to People. "I spent the next three or four minutes desperately racking my brains trying to think of a professional photographer called Catherine. Then, suddenly, I grasped what she meant — one of the most amazing things that could happen. I found it one of the easier things to nod my head at."
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