A new portrait of Kate Middleton has been released ahead of a new book marking a year of the Covid pandemic.
The Duchess of Cambridge and the National Portrait Gallery have announced the book will contain 100 images highlighting the impact of the crisis.
Hold Still was launched last year and invited people of all ages from across the UK to submit a photographic portrait which they had taken during the first lockdown.
From over 31,000 images submitted, 100 final portraits were selected and shown in a digital exhibition before being displayed across the UK.
The book, named Hold Still: A Portrait of Our Nation in 2020, will raise vital cash for mental health charity Mind and the National Portrait Gallery.
Do you enjoy reading about the royal family? Sign up for all the best royal news from the Mirror here
Mum-of-three Kate wanted to create a lasting legacy of how the country has collectively and individually battled through lockdown, celebrating the NHS and recognising how everyday people have coped during the pandemic.
In the introduction, Kate, 39, wrote: "When we look back at the Covid-19 pandemic in decades to come, we will think of the challenges we all faced – the loved ones we lost, the extended isolation from our families and friends and the strain placed on our key workers.
"But we will also remember the positives: the incredible acts of kindness, the helpers and heroes who emerged from all walks of life, and how together we adapted to a new normal.
“Through Hold Still, I wanted to use the power of photography to create a lasting record of what we were all experiencing – to capture individuals’ stories and document significant moments for families and communities as we lived through the pandemic.”
The announcement comes after the UK marked the one-year anniversary of the first national lockdown earlier this week.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of The National Portrait Gallery said: “The public response to Hold Still, which was spearheaded by our Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, has been phenomenal.
"The photographs submitted have helped to create a unifying and cathartic portrait of life in lockdown. We are honoured to have been able to share a selection of these photographs with the nation, first through the online and community exhibition and now through this new publication.
"The proceeds raised from the book will help us to continue to care for and share our national Collection and to provide free access, inspiration and learning, through the work we do at the Gallery and our UK wide community and education projects.
"Hold Still is an important record of this extraordinary moment in our history – expressed through the faces of the nation – and we hope will remain so for generations to come.”
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, Mind, said: "The coronavirus pandemic is a mental health emergency as well as a physical one. The devastating loss of life, the impact of lockdown, and any recession that lies ahead means there has never been a more crucial time to prioritise our mental health
"This inspiring collection of portraits illustrates the impact of the pandemic in all its complexity, but also how creativity, art and human connection can help us find meaning in unprecedented challenges.
"Thank you to everyone who submitted a portrait to tell such a moving and deeply human story of the pandemic. And to the National Portrait Gallery and The Duchess of Cambridge for choosing Mind as a joint beneficiary of proceeds from the sales of this book."
As well as showcasing the final 100 images and the stories that accompany each of them, the book will look back at highlights from the community exhibition which took the portraits to billboards and outdoor poster sites in 80 towns, cities and areas in October 2020.
The publication also features an introduction from The Duchess of Cambridge in which she explains why over six weeks between May and June she created Hold Still by inviting entries of snaps under the three themes: ‘Helpers and Heroes’, ‘Your New Normal’ and ‘Acts of Kindness’.
Pictures chosen for the book include an image of a hospital ward host taking a break to grab some food in between relentless shifts, a woman daydreaming out of her window in lockdown and a child painting a rainbow as a symbol for the country’s support for the NHS.
The book will be available from booksellers from Friday, May 7, one year on since Hold Still was first launched.
