"A Portrait of Our Nation": The Duchess of Cambridge Reveals Final Images Chosen for Hold Still

Hello, hello! I trust you are all well and hope you're enjoying the summer. August is a traditionally a quiet month on the royal calendar, and we tend to see the family dispersed for holidays at home and abroad before the autumn schedule takes shape. This year, it's been very much the latter, with breaks in the UK on top of the agenda. One staple that has very much stayed the same is the Queen and Prince Philip's summer sojourn to Balmoral. The Sun exclusively reports the Cambridges made their annual trip to the Scottish Highlands for a socially-distanced reunion - marking the first time they have all seen Her Majesty and Prince Philip together since March.

Matt Wilkinson reports:

'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Balmoral where the Queen and Prince Philip remain in a Covid- secure “bubble”. Sources said that Her Majesty spent some time with great-grandchildren George, seven, Charlotte, five, and Louis, two, outside on the 50,000-acre estate.

Kate and William were described as feeling “over the moon” to make the reunion and wanted to show their support after a “difficult year”. A royal source said: “Like every family, they’ve been desperate to get back together and over the moon it was possible this weekend. "They’ve all been up there for a few days and although there are very strict procedures with social distancing, they’ve been able to find ways of seeing each other outside. “It’s obviously been a difficult year for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh seeing the country dealing with the pandemic, so they were all keen to go there to show their support.” 

Meanwhile, we've all been looking forward to hearing more about the results of Hold Still - a digital exhibition in collaboration with Kate's patronage the National Portrait Gallery - capturing the mood of the nation during the pandemic through the lens of three themes: Acts of Kindness, Your New Normal and Helpers and Heroes. Kensington Palace shared a teaser of an email Kate sent with the final submissions on Friday...

Tonight, the Duchess revealed she's been "overwhelmed" by the response to the campaign. Following 31,598 submissions, Kate said: "I've been so overwhelmed by the public's response to Hold Still, the quality of the images has been extraordinary, and the poignancy and the stories behind the images have been equally as moving as well. I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has entered and taken part. And a big thank you to my fellow judges. I hugely appreciate the time and dedication that they have shown towards the project." The Mirror reports Kate said she felt "a rollercoaster of emotions whilst looking through the images".

Introducing the #HoldStill2020 judging panel:

• The Duchess of Cambridge
• Director of @NPGLondon, Nicholas Cullinan
• Writer and poet, Lemn Sissay MBE
• Chief Nursing Officer for England, Ruth May
• 2018 Portrait of Britain Winner, Maryam Wahid pic.twitter.com/OXBz2i6b89

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) August 30, 2020

A shared shot from a video call with fellow judges NPG director, Nicholas Cullinan; writer Lemn Sissay; Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England; and photographer Maryam Wahid.

Presenting several images exclusively for The Sunday Times, Kate wrote:

'Throughout recent history, photographs have recorded people’s lives and experiences — telling not just an individual’s story, but also documenting significant moments for families, communities, nations and the world as a whole.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us in some way, and I launched Hold Still with the National Portrait Gallery to give everyone an opportunity to share their own stories, so that together we could create a collective portrait of our nation that would record our experiences during lockdown.

I have been overwhelmed by the public response to the project. With more than 31,000 entries, my fellow judges and I had a huge challenge on our hands selecting just 100 final portraits. Every submission told a unique story — from moments of joy, love and community spirit to deep sadness, pain, isolation and loss. It’s during times such as these we realise more than ever the significance of human connection.

I hope that the final 100 images will serve to showcase the experiences and emotions borne during the pandemic here in the UK, pay tribute to the awe-inspiring efforts of all those who have worked to protect those around them, and provide a space for us to pause and reflect upon these truly extraordinary times.'

When Kate launched the project officially in May, she appeared on ITV's This Morning and said: "We’ve all been struck by some of the incredible images we’ve seen which have given us an insight into the experiences and stories of people across the country. Some desperately sad images showing the human tragedy of this pandemic and other uplifting pictures showing people coming together to support those more vulnerable."

Kensington Palace posted three of the images on social media. The first 'captures a moment' in a busy day in ward host Gimba's life by a young man who signed up to work as a cleaner on the COVID-19 ward during the height of uncertainty and spiraling admissions.

Next, a photo of Reverend Tim Hayward with photos of his parishioners lining the seats in his church as a symbol of the fact they remained in his thoughts and prayers.

The third image by Robert Coyle of his family in the garden was also revealed. Mr Coyle told The Sunday Times: "As I finished emailing at the kitchen table, my wife had taken a chair and a drink outside to enjoy the evening sun. We were doing our best, like the rest of the country, with work, childcare and news of daily death tolls. Our son had taken to relieving himself on the plants, much to our initial amusement and then slight frustration."

The final hundred images will be revealed when the digital exhibition goes live on 14 September. It is envisaged the photos will be showcased in towns and cities across the UK toward the end of the year. The National Portrait Gallery will unfortunately be unable to host an exhibit as they are in fact closed until 2023 for essential building works. Its historic and world renowned collections will tour galleries across the UK during the next three years instead.

The Duchess wore a sold-out green and white floral print dress by ZARA (great ID work by Middleton Maven and Anna). The V-neck, midi dress features lace trim and a ruffled hem.

The dress is from ZARA's Join Life collection. The brand noted: "This fibre is obtained from wood grown in more sustainably managed forests, where trees are cultivated in a controlled manner as part of programmes that guarantee reforestation."

Following several days at Balmoral, the Cambridges will return to Kensington Palace after nearly six months at their Norfolk country home, Anmer Hall. George and Charlotte will return to school on Monday, 7 September. We should hear news on plans and engagements for the month ahead shortly, though I do expect to see the continuation of embargoed events for the time being.