AN EMOTIONAL photograph of a daughter hugging her paramedic dad before a shift taken by a Newport mum has been praised by the Duchess of Cambridge.

The photo by Ceri Edwards shows her daughter Poppy hugging her father Mark before his shift was a finality in the Duchess' Hold Still photography contest.

In a phone call with Mrs Edwards released on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Youtube channel, Kate praised the black-and-white image’s “strength, courage and resilience” - and revealed how her own children ask her to “please stop taking photographs”.

Kate, who is a keen photographer, revealed that George, Charlotte and Louis are sometimes reluctant to let her take a picture of them.

During the phone call the duchess and Mrs Edwards spoke about the power of photography.

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The duchess asked if Mrs Edward's husband was a photographer, to which she said: “No. Well, Mark would say otherwise just because I do take a lot of pictures of the family.”

Kate laughed and replied: “It’s like me. Everyone’s like, ‘Mummy, please stop taking photographs’.”

Mrs Edwards responded: “I know, but I love it. I love looking back. I think when you have children, time seems to go into warp speed, really, and it’s just a lovely thing for me. You look back and see how much the children have grown.”

The Hold Still project encouraged the public to document life through photographs during the pandemic. It has since been turned into an exhibition and book.