The essential trick to capturing Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis smiling on camera revealed

The Wales kids aren't always quickly forthcoming with their grins as royal photographer Arthur Edwards MBE reveals how he gets the shot.

Princess Charlotte split layout Prince George
(Image credit: Getty / Arthur Edwards)

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis make royal photographer Arthur Edwards MBE use the essential 'trick' of time to capture them smiling on camera.


When it comes to getting that perfect smiley shot of royal kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis it's not easy and royal photographer Arthur Edwards MBE has revealed the essential 'trick' he uses to get them to 'do something' on camera.

Having covered the Royal Family for The Sun for 45 years, he's followed them on 200 tours in over 120 countries and captured seven weddings, five funerals and seven births in his career.

And now he's revealing all his royal photography tricks in his new book Behind the Crown: My Life Photographing the Royal Family and she spills the details on how he manages to capture George, nine, Charlotte, seven, and Louis, four, best.

He told PEOPLE, "The trick is be patient. You've got to be patient because they do something and you just got to make sure you capture it. With the Queen, it was the same. You knew that you'd get a smile eventually, but you had to be patient."

Behind the Crown: My Life Photographing the Royal Family - WAS £25, NOW £18.26 | Amazon
was £25 now £18.26 at Amazon

Behind the Crown: My Life Photographing the Royal Family - WAS £25, NOW £18.26 | Amazon

A treasure trove of glorious photography, along with Arthur’s own warm recollections of the stories behind his iconic shots. It is the perfect glimpse behind the scenes of the last 50 years of the British monarchy, from a truly unique perspective.

From Prince George's adorable wave during the Royal Tour of Canada in 2016 to photographing him and his sister Princess Charlotte at Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Matthews, and he finally got a smile from the car window.

Kate Middleton with Prince George at Pippa Middleton's wedding

(Image credit: Getty / Arthur Edwards)

And he's also pictured Princess Charlotte as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took her and brother George on a visit to Poland.

But he's not been able to take their portraits as mum Kate tends to always be behind the camera for those shots.

Kate previously took a snap of Prince George on his ninth birthday.

"Kate's a really excellent photographer. She's taken some great pictures of her children, and she shares them with us, which is nice," Arthur added.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)