Will Kate cope with Mario Testino?

Does Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William, know what she's letting herself in for? More importantly, does William? Following last month's news that she is to 'work alongside' Mario Testino at his New York studio in March to learn more about photography, former assistants of the celebrity snapper have painted a picture of relentless work and partying and very little rest in between.

Alexi Lubomirski, who worked for Testino for four years, told the Sunday Times: "You work every single day, seven days a week, 11 months of the year with only August off."

Recalling his first day at work, Lubomirski said: "It was a wedding scene with Freddie Windsor and Kate Moss and I remember thinking, 'My God, this is the most surreal thing in the whole world'. There were punks jumping around on a trampoline in one corner, and in the other Liberty Ross was giving Freddie Windsor a lap dance."

Shoots can be anywhere in the world and at a moment's notice, with private jets being chartered to fly enormous entourages out to exotic locations. Kay Montano, a make-up artist who has worked for Testino on many shoots, said: "There is a bizarre sort of decadence to it. Flying in a G-string - because a stylist wants it - is so par for the course that nobody bats an eyelid."

Middleton, keen to be a photographer despite her complaints about the paparazzi end of the trade, is considered lucky to get her chance with the man who took some of the most iconic photos of her boyfriend's mother, Diana. Breaking into Planet Testino is not easy and tends normally to be limited to the very handsome and very beautiful: on location, it can be hard to tell the assistants from the models. "He loves sexual energy around him," says Montano.

As for the after-hours partying, Testino "always knows the hottest club, the coolest people. Every night is a wrap party. You're in for the ride and there's no room for fatigue. You're on the fun bus." ·