Royal photographer reveals his top three photos of 2019 – including a striking shot of Meghan Markle in South Africa which captured her looking ‘straight at the camera’
- Tim Rooke revealed a selection of his favourite snaps of the royals taken this year
- Royal photographer’s picks includes Meghan’s solo engagement in South Africa
- He also treasures a photo of the Queen that became a magazine front cover
For many amateur photographers, the panic involved in taking a snap of a Royal Family member before the chance passes by would result in poorly framed, blurry images.
However, talented snapper Tim Rooke has built a thriving career capturing perfectly timed portraits of the Royal Family for the New York-based agency Shutterstock.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, he revealed a selection of his favourite snaps of the monarchy taken throughout 2019 – and admitted he’s particularly proud of shots capturing them smiling.
Here FEMAIL takes a look at Tim’s top three shots – and they’re all of royal ladies.
The Queen at the London Science Museum
Royal photographer Tim Rooke picked out a selection of his favourite images of the Royal Family taken throughout 2019 – including the Queen (pictured) visiting the London Science Museum in March
Tim revealed that he’s particularly proud of this photo of the Queen that became the front cover of Majesty Magazine.
Taken in March during a visit to the London Science Museum, the snap shows the monarch beaming in a vibrant orange coat, coordinated with a matching floral hat.
‘It can be quite easy to capture a photo of the Queen looking serious, so I’m always pleased to take one of her smiling!’ he said.
Tim recalled the image being taken just moments after she was given a bunch of flowers and said it was luck that allowed him to get a clear shot of her clutching the blooms, despite the crowds.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Badshahi Mosque
Tim chose this image of Prince William and his wife Kate (pictured) visiting Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, as he said it’s not common for us to see the royals wearing headscarves
Tim also selected this photograph of Prince William and his wife Kate gazing into each other’s eyes during a visit to Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan in October.
He revealed that he captured Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall on a previous tour at the same mosque.
Using his past experience to take the perfect shot, he said: ‘I was trying to position myself opposite the door as I wanted to get a clean photo of the two of them with the dark background, so I was lucky they stopped here for the photo!
‘The first time the couple visited a mosque was a few years ago in Malaysia. I was the only photographer who had access inside the mosque with them.’
Tim explained that he thinks photographs at mosques are particularly striking as it’s out of the ordinary when British royals are seen wearing head scarves and no shoes.
The Duchess of Sussex at the University of Johannesburg
Tim revealed this stunning photo of Meghan Markle (pictured) visiting the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, is a favourite because of its impressive natural lighting
Tim admitted that this stunning photo of Meghan Markle visiting the University of Johannesburg during a solo engagement in South Africa is one of his favourite snaps because of how she was naturally illuminated by the sunshine.
He explained: ‘This photo is one of my particular favourites because of the lighting. You’d think she’d been lit in this, but it’s all natural and results in a really eye-catching image.’
Admitting it can be difficult to capture the royals with their eyes aimed towards the lens, he added: ‘I also like that she is on her own looking directly at the camera.
‘When photographing a royal walking into a building, they usually focus on the person they are greeted, so do not look at the camera.’