Yes it’s really true, I’ve beaten the BBC and SKY to film Kate Middleton “walking down the aisle”. Twenty years ago I filmed a wedding where Kate was a bridesmaid together with her sister Pippa and her little brother James was a pageboy. I have lovely shots of them all including “walking down the aisle” – behind the bride that is. I can only tell you that nine year old Kate looked shy and very sweet so it’s fascinating to think that I was actually filming the future Queen.
World wide syndication is worth a small fortune according to the red top newspaper which contacted me recently asking my permission to use it. I must give credit to the paper which had been given a guest’s copy tape but recognised that I owned the copyright of the video. I must admit my first thoughts involved money, lots of it and the paper chased me daily for my permission to use the video. They kept saying it was harmless and nobody could take offence. Maybe, but to me my copyright means having the sole right to sell copies to family and friends but not broadcasting it worlwide. To me that would break a confidence and reputation that I have taken many years to cultivate.
So I have decided that the master tape is staying in my loft (actually it is now in a far safer place) and I am not going to retire to Monaco. Instead I’ll happily carry on filming my weddings, I may add “By Appointment to HM” to my sales blurb and if you see me at a wedding and buy me a drink at the bar I may tell you the full story!
POST ROYAL WEDDING 2011: Well I thought it was a fabulous wedding, a great advert for getting married and booking a professional video! Having seen Kate as a bridesmaid I was amazed to see that the two little ones were dressed exactly the same as she was 20 years ago, complete with the halos of flowers on their heads. Also it was fascinating to see how they had grown up but remained similar characters to how they appeared in my video. Kate was the quietest one, Pippa more outgoing and James was extrovert and full of fun.
Did I have second thoughts about whether I had made the right decision, you bet I did!