The whole point of this Hello Magazine cover story seems to be a profile of Prince William’s amateur photography project, in which he’s “borrowing” a huge photography studio (that belongs to some famous British photographer) to take pictures of a man William has met through his charitable work. Before I get into those details, can I just ask something about the cover shot? Okay… Will has dyed his hair, yes? And it’s a very noticeable and pronounced dye job too. Weird. Does he think the darker hair will make him look less bald? Other than the dye job, I like Will so much better when he’s taking a more “realistic” photo, rather than the ultra-posed photos he does for royal crap. Obviously, he’s posing in this one too, but he still looks great in regular clothes and overall, it’s a great shot.

Anyway, back to “Will the Photographer”. The piece starts out talking about how Will is photographing a man named Jeff who used to be homeless, but who has gotten his life on track through the help of the British charity Crisis, which Will is associated with. Turns out, the same man will take Will’s portrait too – and that photo is the cover shot. It is the first time a royal portrait has been taken by a “non-professional”. Hello also says that it’s the first time “the Prince has been involved in producing a major piece of art for public display.” Will says: “The diptych that I has created with Jeff… is a reminder of the way in which all of us – whatever path our lives have taken – are ultimately neighbours and share a common bond. Jeff’s experience of homelessness was an isolating and traumatic one, but now with the help of Crisis, his life has hope and purpose again.”

An aide goes on to say that the photographs created between William and Jeff will be displayed, and then auctioned off at Christie‘s, with the profits going to Crisis: “It’s a cliché to say that one of the most photographed men in the world is at the other end of a lens for once, and that irony has not escaped William at all… Paparazzi photos of him sell for thousands of pounds round the world, so it’s great that, for once, a charity can benefit from his image instead.”