Kate and William’s trusted snapper: How Josh Shinner became go-to photographer for royals, and took Prince George’s 12th birthday shot

The Prince and Princess of Wales have once again looked to a favourite photographer to capture Prince George on his 12th birthday.

While Kate Middleton is famously an accomplished photographer herself and has frequently marked family celebrations with her own images, the royal couple have called upon the services of high-profile snapper Josh Shinner more and more in recent years.    

Today, William and Kate released a new image and a sweet film to mark their eldest son turning 12, showing him larking about with his siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The footage was captured behind-the-scenes at George’s birthday photoshoot, which took place earlier this year in Norfolk – and saw Shinner holding the camera. 

The London-based photographer and director has an impressive portfolio, which includes shooting famous faces – Florence Pugh, Alexa Chung, Jodie Comer and Gemma Chan – for some of the biggest fashion bibles, including Harper’s Bazaar. 

Today’s shot saw, George, who was born on July 22, 2013 at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, cutting a more mature figure.

George, who currently attends Lambrook School in Berkshire, will move to secondary education when he reaches the age of 13 – although it has not yet been confirmed which institution his parents have chosen to send him to, with Eton a clear frontrunner.

Dressed in a white checked shirt layered with a khaki gilet in Shinner’s image, the prince is seen leaning over a wooden gate as he smiles directly into the camera. 

The snap echoes Prince Louis‘s seventh birthday portrait, released in April and also taken by Shinner on the same shoot.  

The youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales was seen sitting among a stunning spring scene surrounded by bluebells, in the garden at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, the Wales family’s residence on the Sandringham Estate. 

The photographer told Harper’s Bazaar in 2023 that he was inspired to get behind the camera by his mother, saying ‘she used to take wonderful pictures of us as kids.’

Growing up in the non-digital era, the British photographer told the publication he also had memories of collecting photographs from Boots after sending in film to be processed. 

His first pro gig, when he was just 17, was capturing ‘a garden party at a nursing home’.

Shinner has come a long way since then, and has quietly become the most trusted photographer for the Prince and Princess of Wales, after the princess herself.

Back in 2023, the photographer took images of the family for their official Christmas portrait.  

He shot Prince William and Kate, then both 41, in a casual family picture with George, then ten, Louis, then five, and Charlotte, then eight, in matching white shirts for the front of their festive card.

Shinner shared insight afterwards into the day of the photoshoot on Instagram, revealing he learned some brand new jokes from the royal children.

Taking to Instagram, he also shared a sketch of the family which he had doodled while trying to work out what poses fit best for the composition.

Speaking about the atmosphere on the day, he wrote: ‘It was such a pleasure to photograph the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family for the Christmas portrait this year.’

Previous cards issued during their tenure as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were similarly relaxed and often colourful affairs, such as their 2018 card, in which they sat on a tree trunk in Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

The bizarre royal protocol Prince George will now have to follow as the future king celebrates his 12th birthday 

Today is Prince George’s 12th birthday and an important milestone for the future king in more ways than one.

While Prince William and Kate will be considering which school George should join next year, the young prince now faces a significant change in his royal protocol. 

The strict rule is not enforced until a member of the family turns 12 years old and is designed to protect the line of succession to the British crown.

It’s a protocol that George’s father had to follow and also his grandfather during their times as heirs to the throne.

From his birthday today, George will no longer be permitted to fly on the same plane as William.

Speaking to MailOnline, royals expert Richard Fitzwilliams explained why this rule is followed. 

Richard said: ‘To ensure the continuity of the institution, King Charles and Prince William never travel together. When Prince George, who is second in line to the throne, turns 12 on July 22, the rule will apply to him but not to his siblings. 

‘He could travel with them, with Prince William in another aircraft or travel alone. 

‘It reportedly needed the written permission of the monarch for Charles, when he was Prince of Wales to travel together with Diana and his sons, but before William turned 12 it did happen. 

‘William and Catherine have travelled together with their children, but when George turns 12 he will have to travel separately.’ 

It remains unclear whether it will be William who flys on his own, separate from Kate and the other children, or if his son will instead.

The bizarre rule was established following a string of tragic deaths in the family involving aircrafts.

‘The unexpected can happen, as with Prince William of Gloucester’s tragic death in 1972, though this was in a competition. 

‘Prince George, Duke of Kent also died in a plane crash in 1942, which has become controversial. 

‘Prince Philip’s sister, Cecile, died in a plane crash in 1937, giving birth to a stillborn child,’ Richard said. 

These tragedies have only served to reinforce the Royal Family’s belief in ensuring the heirs travel separately. 

And when William ascends to the throne, Charlotte will most likely have to follow the protocol too. 

Richard noted that a similar policy exists across the pond where the President never travels by plane with the Vice-President. 

Whilst this is a new royal protocol for the young prince to follow, it just one of many rules George and his siblings will have been following as members of Britain’s most famous family. 

These include always travelling with a change of black clothes should a member of the family die unexpectedly. 

This rule was introduced after King George VI died while Elizabeth was in Kenya and she did not have any black clothes.

The children also face limits on what they can and can’t wear with the girls expected to wear dresses and the boys must wear shorts.

On top of this, they can never eat shellfish while on a royal tour to avoid food poisoning.

As Prince George gets older, he will be expected to attend more and more official royal engagements.

In May, George joined other members of the Royal Family for a tea party at Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The future monarch looked natural as he, alongside his parents, chatted away to World War Two veterans.

Prince William proudly told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield, from Portchester, that George is ‘interested’ in learning about those who served.

The royal added that it was ‘very important’ for his eldest and the ‘next generation’ to hear the stories from those who fought for our nation.

George was snapped beaming as he shook hands with one esteemed veteran.

The Prince and Princess of Wales face the big decision of deciding which school George will attend once he turns 13 next year.

In April, the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported that Prince George visited Eton College before the boarding school broke up for the Easter holidays to see where he would stay if he goes to his father’s alma mater next year.

Although George might be expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and attend £63,000-per-year Eton, it remains unclear if he will do so. 

There has been speculation that George could follow the example of his mother, the Princess of Wales, and her siblings, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, and attend Marlborough College, the Wiltshire boarding school where annual fees are £59,000.

Unlike Eton, Marlborough is co-educational. George’s parents have been spotted at a number of potential choices, including Highgate School in north London. 

Catherine was reported to be attracted to Highgate because it has a ‘world-class’ drama department. However, it would seem an unlikely choice as it is 30 miles from Windsor and commuting across the capital could take an hour each way.

Richard Eden says that Eton remains the family’s preferred choice as William, Catherine and their three children live mainly at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park, which is just a short walk away.

George has four terms left at Lambrook School, in the Berkshire countryside, where his sister, Princess Charlotte, aged nine, and Prince Louis, six, are also day pupils.

Eton’s Provost – equivalent of chairman of governors at other schools – is Sir Nicholas Coleridge, the former Conde Nast magazine boss who is a friend of the royals.

He made clear last December that he would not be doing any favours for chums, however high-born.

‘I find myself receiving a torrent of letters and emails from friends of friends, hinting that they hope I can help them secure a place for their sons or grandsons,’ Sir Nicholas wrote in The Spectator magazine. ‘There is a rigorous admissions system here, run with integrity, and it is awkward when the prospective boy hasn’t caught the selector’s eye.’