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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Rosaleen Fenton

Prince William fought hard against cameras at Prince George's christening

Prince George looked extremely regal during his official royal christening photoshoot with his parents the Prince and Princess of Wales.

William and Kate looked emotional as their firstborn, the future king, did them proud by being on his best behaviour on the special day. Following the historic day, an insider told HELLO: "There were no screams or tantrums."

"He seems to have been perfectly behaved throughout."

The official photographs were taken by Jason Bell at Clarence House - but a new book has revealed new details on the row over them behind the scenes.

According to Katie Nicholl's book "The New Royals," Prince William wasn't keen on official photographs being released after the service, and there was a row behind the scenes.

The official portrait for the christening of Prince George (CAMERA PRESS/Jason Bell/CAMERA P)

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It stems from the Wales' desire to ensure their son was raised in a new and modern way to match how society had developed.

They made this clear when the first portrait to be released wasn't an official photo from a photography studio, but instead was snapped by Kate’s dad, Michael, in their back garden.

The image showed Kate cradling George and William petting the family spaniel Lupo, looking like any other happy family.

So when it came to his christening, Prince William wasn't super keen on having photographs released to the public - as he tried to keep his son's life as private as possible.

"The prince’s christening in October 2013 at St. James’s Palace was a private ceremony in the Chapel Royal followed by a reception at Clarence House.

"Later, however, a series of charming official pictures was released. 'We had a bit of a wrestle,' reveals a former royal aide.

"'William didn’t want any cameras there, full stop. It took a team to convince him that we had to do something. It was a big step and a big give from William.

"'Behind the scenes, Kate was quite the pacifier,' adds the source. 'She realised they couldn’t hide George forever.' It was some time before George was seen again because both William and Kate wanted to shield him from the spotlight."

In the photos, the Queen could be seen sitting with her son, grandson and great-grandson in the first photo of the monarch with three generations of future kings in 119 years.

Her Majesty, then 87, clearly relished the historic moment as she smiled with Prince Charles, 64, Prince William, 31, and threemonth-old Prince George.

The last time such a royal family portrait was taken was in 1894, when Queen Victoria was pictured with her son, later Edward VII, her grandson, crowned as George V and her great-grandson, who became Edward VIII. It was one of four photos taken to mark Prince George's christening on Wednesday.

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