Living in the public eye isn’t easy, especially since nearly every moment away from home is captured through photographs and videos. Some of those moments end up being misunderstood. No one knows this better than members of the royal family.
It must be frustrating to see yourself portrayed unfairly, but royal family members are often forbidden from speaking up, and they aren’t allowed to have personal social media accounts. But a royal photographer has officially cleared the air about one controversy that affected Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The incident in Jamaica and the backlash that followed
In March 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton completed the second leg of their Caribbean royal tour with a three-day stay in Jamaica.
Before moving on to the Bahamas, they were photographed riding in the same Land Rover used by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during their 1953 trip to Jamaica, reports Woman and Home, which sparked public outcry. The couple was called “tone deaf” for their decision, which was said to have perpetuated colonial ideals.
The controversy didn’t end there. Next, photos were published of William and Kate shaking hands with Jamaican children through holes in a wire fence, as Newsweek reports. Obviously, this did not photograph well.
Although some spoke up to defend the couple, noting the incident took place at a football field, and the image was heavily cropped, many wondered what palace organizers were thinking, allowing such startling imagery to be published.
The Spilling Royal Tea episode that cleared the air
Recently, royal photographer Zak Hussein appeared on an episode of the podcast Spilling Royal Tea, which discusses royal family matters. The episode was titled “Kate and Camilla: Up Close and Personal.” It was all about what the members of the royal family are really like, versus how they are portrayed publicly.
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While the episode mostly touched on the little-known personality traits of royal family members like Meghan Markle, Queen Camilla, and Kate, the unfortunate Jamaica incident did come up. And Hussein, who was there at the time, did not hold back when he was asked about it.
The Jamaica incident was unfortunate but “twisted”
According to Hussein, the photos in Jamaica did not accurately portray what happened that day. The locals were excited to see them, so William and Kate came up to the fence to say hello. No one was fenced in, and nothing was forced.
“It was unfortunate imagery that came out,” he said. “I was there. Yes, those things happened, but it, unfortunately, put a negative spin on things when a lot of positive things happened on that tour.”
He said the shaking hands through the fence was “quite innocent,” a spur-of-the-moment connection that happened on a field after a soccer game. It didn’t cross anyone’s minds, he said, that it might be perceived in a negative way. It was a happy, joyful moment.
“It’s kind of a shame that it got twisted that way,” Hussein said regarding the negative press. He did admit that the Land Rover trip was pre-planned and looked more colonial, and he disagreed with that part but said the severe backlash over the trip was “unfair to William and Kate.”
Pictures may be worth 1,000 words, but that doesn’t mean they tell the full story.
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