The Duchess of Cambridge appears on the cover of British Vogue to celebrate the magazine's 100th anniversary, in a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery of which Kate is the Charitable Patron.
For the article, which appears in the issue that will hit the news stands June 5, the duchess was photographed by Josh Olins in casual attire to reflect her love of the countryside. She and Prince William have a country home Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk where they split their time with Kensington Palace raising their children
"Since 1916, Vogue has been a leading champion of British portraiture," a spokesperson for The Duchess of Cambridge said. "The Duchess was delighted to play a part in celebrating the centenary of an institution that has given a platform to some of the most renowned photographers in this country's history."
"She is incredibly grateful to the team at Vogue and at the National Portrait Gallery for asking her to take part," Kensington Palace said in a statement. "She would like to thank Josh Olins for being such a pleasure to work with. The Duchess had never taken part in a photography shoot like this before. She hopes that people appreciate the portraits with the sense of relaxed fun with which they were taken."
On the British Vogue cover the coat and shirt are Burberry and the vintage hat is from Beyond Retro. The black and white head shot features coat and shirt by Burberry. In the color shot by the gate, the top is Petit Bateau and trousers are Burberry.
Two of the photographs will be displayed in the "Vogue 100 A Century of Style" exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and available to view Sunday May 1.
"To be able to publish a photographic shoot with HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has been one of my greatest ambitions for the magazine," British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Shulman said.
British Vogue scored a coup nearly every magazine editor had hoped for.
"I'm delighted the Duchess agreed to work with us and the National Portrait Gallery, and as a result of this unique collaboration we have a true celebration of our centenary as well as a fitting tribute to a young woman whose interest in both photography and the countryside is well known," she said.
Kate has been the Patron of the National Portrait gallery since 2012 shortly after she married Prince William. The Duchess of Cambridge will view the photographs on Wednesday at the National Portrait Gallery.
"Josh has captured The Duchess exactly as she is -– full of life, with a great sense of humor, thoughtful and intelligent, and in fact, very beautiful," said Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the National Portrait Gallery.
"Not only do they reflect her love of the countryside, interest in photography and championing of the National Portrait Gallery as our very committed Patron, but they also encapsulate what Vogue has always done so brilliantly -– to pair the best photographers with the great personalities of the day, in order to reflect broader shifts in culture and society," Cullinan said. "We had fun in making and choosing these images, and I hope that comes across.”
Catherine is a keen photographer herself and graduated with a degree in History of Art from St Andrews University, where she met and fell in love with William.
She has taken several photographs of her children that have become iconic images of their life.
Kate follows her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who appeared in the cover of Vogue four times during her life. Princess Diana was photographed twice by Patrick DeMarchelier and once by Lord Snowden. She was also honored posthumously after her death.
"It's a privilege to have been chosen to photograph HRH The Duchess of Cambridge for the Centenary issue of British Vogue and an honor that two of those portraits will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London," Olins said.
"This was the Duchess's first sitting for a magazine and she was a joy to work with, a natural," he said. "I am incredibly grateful to Alexandra Shulman for placing her faith in me for such an important and historic assignment."