The Duchess of Cambridge has released a video featuring a phone call with four-year old Mila about her photo called ‘Shielding Mila’.
The phone call is set to be a series of calls published with the photographers who were part of the final 100 images chosen for the online exhibition, which documented life in British lockdown.
In the first formal video uploaded the couple’s new YouTube account, the youngster greeted Catherine by saying: “Good morning, Your Royal Highness.”
The Duchess of Cambridge speaks to cancer patient Mila Sneddon for Hold Still project, promising when they eventually meet to wear a pink dress
The Duchess replied with a slight laugh: “Good morning. My goodness me, you’re so polite, Mila!”
During the conversation, Mila asked the Duchess of Cambridge: “Do you have a costume?”
“I’m not wearing a princess costume right now, I’m afraid, Mila,” Catherine said.
After hearing that Mila liked to play dress-up and that her favourite colour was pink, Kate promised her: “I have to make sure I go and try to find myself a pink dress. Hopefully, when one day, hopefully, Mila, we’ll get to meet, and then I’ll remember to wear my pink dress for you.”
Mila replied with a big “Yay!”, clearly happy with the response.
The Duchess of Cambridge pictured on the phone to Mila, whose photo made it into the Hold Still final.
The Duchess of Cambridge also spoke to Mila and her mother, Lynda, about the submitted photograph, which showed Mila looking at her father from inside a window.
Mila and her mother had to isolate away from dad, Scott, and sister, Jodi, to protect Mila, while she was receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The winning photograph saw Mila looking through the window at her father. (National Portrait Gallery)
It was actually Mila’s grandmother who encouraged Lynda to submit the photo.
Asked by the Duchess why the she had to be apart from her father for so long, Mila replied: “Because he had to look after me because I went for a treatment.”
The Duchess asked: “Was it really hard not seeing him?”
Mila said it was incredibly hard not seeing him but described the moment they were finally reunited: “When he came into the house I was like, so surprised.”
The Royal learnt that the family is now reunited and living together again.
A new portrait of The Duchess of Cambrudge was released ahead of a new book marking the first anniversary of the first UK lockdown. (IMAGE: Kensington Royal/Twitter).
Speaking about the entry, Catherine said: “I’m very grateful, and also for sharing such a personal time. You know, it’ll be an image that is part of a national archive, and you know, it tells a story of this particular time and a very personal story too, so thank you so much for sharing it.”
The mother-of-three also said how she and the judging panel felt the image was ‘powerful. It tells the story of this particular time and a very personal story to you, so thank you very for much for sharing it,’ Kate said.
Mila proudly said to Kate: “I know all your kids’ names.”
Asked by The Duchess of Cambridge if she could remember them, Mila said Charlotte, then George and then Louis.
The Duchess told Mila how Louis, who has just turned three, has been enjoying his scooter. “Louis has got so big now. He’s very quick running around and he’s on his little scooter as well. He’s very quick. I can’t keep up with him.”
The youngest child of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently celebrated his third birthday. The couple released a new picture of Prince Louis on a bike on his way to nursery.
The Duchess of Cambridge launched the project in May 2020 with the aim of showing life within the UK during the first national lockdown as COVID-19 took changed the country and the world. Catherine has previously shared a selection of her favourite images from the ‘Hold Still’ campaign, writing about them in an exclusive article for The Sunday Times.
The photography competition received praise from The Queen who said it was a ‘great pleasure’ to look through some of the final 100 images and was ‘inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time’.
In March, Catherine announced a book would be released containing the final 100 photographs from the ‘Hold Still’ exhibition, documenting pandemic life. The book can be purchased here.
