The Duchess of Cambridge stepped behind the lens for a change and practised using a camera as she and the Duke of Cambridge met with young British-Caribbean creatives to mark Windrush Day.
Kate may be one of the most photographed people in the world, but she momentarily swapped roles on a visit to Brixton House in southeast London and tried her hand at filming.
Visual artist Davinia Clarke, 22, who helped her operate a camera using a shoulder rig, said she had joked “you need a lot of upper body strength” to manoeuvre the equipment.
Dressed in a white trouser suit, Kate, known to be a keen photographer, took a turn zooming in and positioning the lens.
“(Kate) wanted to understand how to put it on and how to move it around.
“She was up for it and she did better than me,” Ms Clarke said afterwards.
“It’s really heavy, she was good.”
Meanwhile, William spoke with R&B musician Abdoulaziz Lelo Ndambi, 24, before nodding along as the singer played one of his tracks on a mobile phone and telling him he had a good voice.
“(William) said he was telling Kate it might be number one in the future, I pray it is,” Mr Ndambi said afterwards.
Kate and William attended the venue on Wednesday to meet with aspiring artists from the British-Caribbean community and other diasporas in recognition of the contribution made by the Windrush generation and their families to Britain.
They were greeted by youth workers at Elevate, a programme led by Lambeth Council which aims to increase opportunities in the creative industries for every young person in the borough.
The couple then attended a workshop led by production agencies Iconic Steps and Oxygen Arts and were shown various activities including filming and editing before speaking with a group of participants.
The visit comes after the couple’s Caribbean tour, during which William signalled any decision by Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas to break away from the British monarchy will be supported with “pride and respect”.
Asked how she felt about the royal visit in light of the tour, Ms Clarke said: “It felt natural, it didn’t feel forced.
She added: “I hope it’s sincere.
“I think it’s important they’re trying to do something at least.
“I do think they have a genuine interest in young people and creativity.”
Singer-songwriter King Simpson, 24, whose grandfather was part of the Windrush generation, said: “I think it’s important as long as the energy behind this continues and as long as it helps those who have been impacted, those of Caribbean descent, and as long as it’s not just a show.”
He added: “The fact that they make themselves present shows how significant (Windrush) is in history.”
The couple praised the work of young creatives including Jazmine Lowe, a fine arts student whose digital portraits Kate described as “amazing.”
“It’s really cool,” William said, while Kate told the young artist she was “very talented.”
Speaking with event organisers, William said the importance of community projects helping young people to enter the creative industries was even more marked “post-pandemic”.
“We all slightly went into our shells a bit,” he said.
“We were saying having a place like this is so important because the industry is so competitive.”
Next year marks 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks in 1948, bringing 500 passengers from the Caribbean.
More than 100 leaders from politics, faith and civil society, sport, culture and business have signed a joint letter, published in The Times newspaper, starting the one-year countdown to the milestone.
They write: “This is not only black History, it is British history.
“It should be something we all know and commemorate.
“We call on the Government and all UK institutions, from politics to civil society, faith, culture, business and sport, to step up and fully play their part next year.”
