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What it's like to travel the world with the British royal family, according to the man who photographs them for a living

"At the end of the day theres a lot of bad news in the world, and if you can be a part of something sweet and enjoyable for everyone, it's great fun."

When you think of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, or Prince George heading off to his first day of school, unless you're lucky enough to be on the guest list those moments are defined by images you see in the media.

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And at historic junctures like those, it's often Chris Jackson, one of the world's most widely-published royal photographers, behind the camera, bringing you the story as it happens.

Jackson covers the royals for Getty Images, one of the world's biggest photo services, used by virtually every major media outlet, including Business Insider.

From private photoshoots to mark milestones to tagging along on every royal tour around the world for the past decade, Jackson has spent over 10 years of his life building trust with the royals in order to "create a unique archive of the British royal family in the best possible way I can."

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It doesn't hurt that he's married to Kate Middleton's stylist, Natasha Archer.

From jetsetting with Prince Harry on charity missions to mingling with celebrities like Rihanna and David Gandy, read on to see the incredible life of Chris Jackson, photographer of the British royal family.

This is Chris Jackson, the Getty Images photographer who spends his time photographing — and travelling the globe with — the British Royal Family.

While studying psychology at university, he had a dark room in his student house, and used to sneak off to develop photos.

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When he finished university, he did work experience with a number of photographers and agencies before landing a job in sales at Getty Images about 15 years ago.

"I got another loan on top of my student loan and got a load of photo equipment," he told Business Insider. "I spent the next six years paying off that loan."

He added: "I was lucky enough to work every moment I had in my spare time at Getty, [and] they eventually decided I was better at taking photographs than selling them."

Over time, he developed a niche photographing the royal family. "[Since] The Duke of Cambridge got engaged the story has become an interesting full-time job," he said. "It kind of encompassed everything I enjoy about photography."

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One of these things is travel. Here, Jackson sets up his camera on a royal visit to Berlin — he is constantly by the family's side during their global royal tours.

The tours often feature work with charities, something the royals pursue vigorously "They're using their power to shine on issues which they feel they can make a difference with," he said. "I've spent a lot of time working with these charities, and working closely with the royals in things they're passionate about."

Another thing he loves? Being at the forefront of historic moments, such as the wedding of Will and Kate or Prince George's first day of school. "Photographing the royal family is different than celebrities," he said. "You're creating historic photos."

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"The photo that was released today was George holding [his dad's] hand," he added. "It was great to see him with such a big smile before heading off on the first school run with his dad."

Part of his job involves working one-on-one with members of the family for posed photos, such as Prince George's fourth birthday photo.

However, he also manages to capture some candid moments at events or on the road.

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"There's a lot of formality in the royal family, and that's what makes them the royal family and what gives it a sense of history," he said. "But with younger members being involved in charities people really appreciate the genuine moments, and that's a real priority for me — to try and capture those." Here, Prince Harry poses with a competitor at the Invictus Games.

"I suppose it’s a new generation, a new way of doing things," Jackson said. "[With] the younger members — Harry, William, and the Duchess of Cambridge — things are realased on Instagram and Twitter in a different and modern way."

"It's about combining the formal pictures with the less formal pictures, documenting the royal family as a whole." Here is one of Jackson's favourite pictures of George, taken during the royal tour of Canada.

"It's my favourite picture of that royal tour," he said. "There tends to be a picture you remember from each trip."

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Every day is different for Jackson. When he's not on a royal tour, he said: "I get to see a hell of a lot of the country." Here, he takes in the 6 a.m. views near the Queen's Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Jackson is married to Natasha Archer, stylist to the Duchess of Cambridge. "I can’t talk too much about it," he said.

The couple tied the knot at a ceremony in France in June.

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Source: Hello Magazine.

They live in Wandsworth, south London, and Getty's office is based in Camden. "It's a lot of driving around the country and flying around the world," he said. "When I'm in London, I might work there for a day, or I might work from home, or I might have a photoshoot in a studio," Jackson said.

While his schedule is jam-packed, he said the royal family are "creatures of habit." "There's a royal timetable — every year there's certain events, and you know when and where they're going to be, how they work. They're very traditional."

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These events include the Highland Games, Royal Ascot, and Trooping of the Colour — traditions that "haven’t changed for years or centuries," according to Jackson.

"Over the years you get to know where to be at what time, [and] your life is kind of regular," he added.

Then, of course there's weddings, birthdays, retirements and royal tours. Here, Jackson photographs Prince Charles with Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

He's constantly meeting "fascinating" people along the way. Here, he photographs Justin Trudeau and family...

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The Prince of Wales with supermodel David Gandy...

And Prince Harry with singer Rihanna. "It's one of the best jobs in the world in terms of meeting fascinating people," he said. "And not just famous people. I'm very lucky."

He manages to enjoy himself a bit, too. Here, he photographs the venue for a state banquet he attended at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

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He's enjoyed a birthday dinner in South Africa...

...Travelled in an RAF plane...

The Royals often use this RAF Voyager when they tour the world.

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...Been kitted out at Saville Row...

...And sipped Champagne at the Duchess of Cornwall's 70th birthday at Clarence House.

Sometimes he even gets papped himself. Here he is at Wimbledon — in what we can only assume was the royal box.

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With this jam-packed diary, it's understandable that he says one of the most challenging parts of the job is finding time for his personal life. "You're away on royal trips, and you want to go on the next trip as well, but you've got your own friends' weddings [etc.]" he said. "There are quiet times, like August, but it can be one of the biggest challenges, trying to fit it all in."

Somehow, he also finds time for other photography assignments and some reportage. Here, he photographs horses in Barbados...

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...And hangs with elephants in Tanzania.

"It's quite physical — all of the equipment you have to carry around," he said. "You end up getting some serious back problems... You can barely walk [and] you need to find yourself a good osteopath." Here, you can see his entire kit for the royal tour to Canada.

Despite the job's challenges, he's afraid to miss a moment in the lives of the royals. "The ultimate goal is to create a unique archive of the British royal family in the best possible way I can," he said. "If Prince Harry is on a royal tour and the Prince of Wales is on something else, you have to choose who you're going to cover, and it really bothers you. You really care about getting the pictures — the drive — and disappointment if you miss things — is incredible."

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"I love occasionally being at a big event [where there's a] little bit of competition," he added. "It drives you on — it’s part of the job and adds a real element that I really enjoy and would certainly miss if I didn’t have that."

"You suddenly get this global interest, like the royal wedding where two billion people were tuning in, and I was metres away from the action," he said.

"The picture coming out of the church — for me that was a month-long run into the wedding — the prepartion, it was a massive event for Getty Images. Everything that was associated around that particular moment ties into that one picture."

"I have a number of favourite [pictures] — each one resonates with a particular moment or period. That's the great thing about my job — everything has a story behind it." One is of Harry in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, showing kids a picture on a back of a camera. "It sums up that whole special visit," Jackson said.

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With countless images under his belt, you would assume Jackson must have a favourite family member to photograph. However, he said: "What's great about having a royal family [with different members] is the diversity. If I was one person's photographer, I might get bored after a while."

"You've got all of these different personalities, different nuances to get to know over the years — where's a good place to move, what might happen next. You get to know peoples’ personalities."

"The Queen for example — I always get excited, she's an iconic figure. It's a massive buzz to photograph her. She's very different than Prince George, but equally as exciting in a different way."

"I love photographing Prince George. He has a great personality... [he] adds a whole different dynamic."

"You look at the pictures and they're just really cute and sweet," he added. "There's a real kind of feel-good factor after you've taken the photos and you post on Instagram and it gets a good response. At the end of the day theres a lot of bad news in the world and if you can be a part of something sweet and enjoyable for everyone, it's great fun."

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"Over the years you build up a level of trust and good relationships with everyone," Jackson added. "You work day in, day out, with people in the press office, with people who work with the charities. Often it means you get better pictures — you have a relationship with people and they know who you are."

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