Duchess Kate recently turned 40, marking the occasion with a selection of stunning portraits. As Hello! reports, an Italian interview with the session's photographer, Paolo Roversi, shares that it was none other that Kate's family who picked out one of the pictures she shared with the world!

Kate's "gaze and smile" photographer's focus

Duchess Kate did the special photoshoot back in December, and Roversi revealed that there were many photos taken of the royal! The photographer told Corriere della Sera that they started out with 250 photos to choose from, which ended up being cut down to only 70. Three of those pictures were then shared by Kate on social media, including a black and white image of her smiling at the camera in a ruffled gown.

This is the photo Roversi says Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis chose. And as Hello! mentions, the earrings she is seen wearing here once belonged to William's mother, Princess Diana. "The focal point of Kate's face is her gaze and smile," Roversi said of keeping Kate's look for the photos fairly simplistic.

He also called the Duchess of Cambridge "a nice, welcoming woman who puts you at ease, respectful of everyone's work," and mentioned that he photographed her dancing in the red Alexander McQueen dress she wore as part of the shoot. Kate is said to have enjoyed a quiet birthday celebration with her family, where only a few guests were in attendance due to the pandemic.