Royal photographer shares secrets of snapping Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Watch: New smiling portraits of William and Kate to mark their 10th wedding anniversary

A royal photographer has revealed what it took to get the memorable images of Prince William kissing his new wife Kate on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after their wedding.

Ian Vogler, who is a photographer for The Mirror, was one of those who managed to get a shot of the newlyweds kissing in front of the crowds on 29 April 2011.

He also managed to get cute bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem in the picture - as she covered her ears due to the noise.

Vogler revealed he was at his spot at 6am on the day of the wedding, despite the wedding ceremony not being until 11am and the flyover at the palace scheduled for 1.30pm.

Speaking at a Facebook live event with The Mirror, he said: "The balcony picture, you get some heads-up. Someone opens the doors and then you know that something is going to happen.

"You've got maybe three minutes - and you're waiting there from 6am for a few minutes. Everyone wants to get on the front page of their publication but it's got to happen. They've got to have the kiss!"

Read more: A decade as Duchess of Cambridge: How Kate is preparing to be Queen

Vogler said they would not always know how the picture would turn out until after it was taken.

He joked: "If you want to make sure it's a good picture you have to get it onto the laptop, but then you're in bright sunlight so you see this fabulous image of a load of photographers sitting on the ground with their jackets and coats over their heads looking at their screens."

Over the last decade, Vogler has covered the royal couple at events around the world, and praised the way they have tackled royal life.

He said: "There's an art in talking to people you've never met about something you might not know much about. They get briefed... but they seem to master it. The people they speak to are left with no doubt that they engaged with them and were interested in them. The best bit is when it's anything competitive."

Watch: William and Kate's wedding anniversary: 10 years in 10 photos

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"Last week with the air cadets, the duchess was invited to get into a flight simulator," Vogler continued. "As she gets in, the duke is stood there saying 'oh this will be interesting', thinking she might crash, but she didn't actually, kept it up.

"They are competitive and that always turns into good pictures. It's genuine competitiveness."

He also revealed a bit of what royal tour life is like for photographers, explaining: "It's an interesting relationship, because we are there but just to do what we are going to do, not to talk to them, and we don't say 'oi sir, look this way'."

William and Kate released new portrait photographs of themselves to mark their 10th wedding anniversary, taken by Chris Floyd at their home in Kensington Palace.

Read more: The perfect match: William and Kate's 10th wedding anniversary gallery

William and Kate later shared a video of them with their children, which was shot in Norfolk last year.

It shows them on a family trip to the beach with Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, and toasting marshmallows on an open fire.

The couple had a slow start to royal life after their wedding, carrying out some royal tours but maintaining a more private life, living first on Anglesey and then in Norfolk, where William had a job flying helicopters.

Now they are full time working royals, carrying out hundreds of engagements each year.