Princess Diana was an expert at manipulating her image and the public's perception of her. According to some former royal journalists, the deceased Princess of Wales, who was Prince Charles first wife, understood that her role in the royal family is to look good in public and she played that part so well with the help of one royal photographer, Kent Gavin.
According to Anne Robinson in the documentary Royalty Close Up: The Photography of Kent Gavin, Princess Diana and Gavin actually worked together so well that's why there's no bad photo of the former royal. Robinson said that the two personalities sort of flirted with each other through the camera lens.
Robinson's revelations were echoed by Mike Malloy, who was the former editor of Daily Mirror. He said that Gavin and Princess Diana were like lovers on the lens, whenever he took photos of her.
The journalist said that both Princess Diana and Gavin were aware of the very important game they were in and they used this to their advantage. As a photographer, Gavin was very encouraging of Prince Charles' ex-wife. She, on the other hand, found the photographer's lens quite irresistible.
Princess Diana apparently trusted Gavin so much but he also had a great relationship with the other royals. The royal photographer had this magic in that he takes photos of the most famous family in Britain without causing any offense.
There was a time when Prince William asked his mother if Gavin was going to be the royal event. He was so used to having the photographer around his mom.
Gavin said in the same documentary that Princess Diana knew that she needed the press as much as they needed her. Robinson, on the other hand, echoed that sentiment by saying that Princess Diana was really useful to the royal family in her early days.
Besides her arresting presence, Princess Diana also had this natural ability to care for the sick and needy. So good was her publicity that she would go to a hospice center to counter the negative press. While there, she would orchestrate an elaborate game to play with the cameras so that she would look good in the photos.
Meanwhile, throughout his career, Gavin was named the British Press Photographer of the Year in four instances. He was also the Royal Photographer of the Year for seven times. His career spans half a century and he remains one of the most respected royal photographers.
