The Duchess of Cambridge hosted a special reception for the people behind her extremely successful and brilliant lockdown project ‘Hold Still‘. The photography project spearheaded by the artistic Duchess was organized by the National Portrait Gallery – patronage of The Duchess of Cambridge. Hold still 2020 was one of the biggest highlights of the Royal work during COVID-19. Tonight, thanking the people behind the project, The Duchess shared on Instagram,
“Thank you to the brilliant partners who made Hold Still a reality!“
The Palace said, “It took a long time to bring everyone behind this incredible project together in person but tonight we finally managed it. The idea for Hold Still 2020 came right at the start of the pandemic and aimed to bring people and communities together, using the amazing power of photography.
It was made possible by so many partners – National Portrait Gallery Co-Op and Book Fairies UK – to name just a few, and what’s more remarkable is how it was all orchestrated from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms! The most special thanks must go to the thousands of people across the country who took the time to share their experiences of lockdown. Without them, the project really would not have been possible.“
From the background of the pictures, it looked like the reception was held at the State Room of the St. James Palace where William and Catherine announced their engagement in November 2010.
The photography project asked Brits to submit their pictures reflecting their lives during the pandemic lockdown. It received an overwhelming response with more than 31000 entries. The pictures told a story of resilience, emotions, community, isolation, support all at the same time. Catherine gave the project a very suitable name – ‘The Portrait of the Nation’. It will be part of history and will show our upcoming generation what was life during the pandemic.
The 100 images from the entries were displayed in a digital exhibition that took the portraits to billboards and outdoor poster sites in 80 towns, cities and areas by the NPG last year.
The final 100 images and stories were turned into a book that remained NPG’s best selling book. The book contains an introduction from The Duchess of Cambridge in which she talked about her passion and the project,
“For me, the power of the images is in the poignant and personal stories that sit behind them. I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak to some of the photographers and sitters, to hear their stories first-hand – from moments of joy, love and community spirit, to deep sadness, pain, isolation and loss”
To mark the launch of the book, The Duchess of Cambridge, National Portrait Gallery and Book Fairies UK joined hands and organized a nationwide Treasure-Hunt. They started leaving the ‘Hold Still’ book at places all around the UK that gave hope during the lockdown. Read the whole journey of this amazing project here.
For the reception, The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing a Self-Portrait Cream Tailored Boucle And Chiffon Midi Dress. Thanks to Emily Collins for the id.
The £400 midi dress was described as, “This midi wrap dress is cut from boucle, chiffon and fine lace. Designed with a long-sleeved bodice that is fitted at the waist and falls to and pleated midi skirt. This style is lined with a self-fabric belt and pockets.”
The Duchess paired the outfit with gold-tone chandelier earrings and a new necklace. Both pieces are still unidentified. I will update the post once we have more information on them.