Wow, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge “worked” two days in a row. Yesterday, they appeared at Waterloo station to unveil a statue in honor of Windrush Day. Today, they went to Cambridgeshire to look at a new portrait of themselves. The portrait was painted by Jamie Coreth, and it’s being displayed at Fitzwilliam Museum. Coreth painted it as a gift to William and Kate, and it was commissioned and funded by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, because apparently these people need a special fundraising effort to fund their royal portraiture?? Jesus Christ.
Hilariously, the painting is based off an appearance William and Kate made in Ireland in 2020, just as the pandemic was hitting. Kate spent more than $30,000 on fug new clothes for, like, a three day tour? One of those new pieces was this green dress by The Vampire’s Wife. It was bad! She cosplayed the Irish flag. It was so dumb.
When William and Kate viewed the painting today, William’s first comment was “It’s quite big.” Then he told Coreth “it’s amazing.” I kind of agree? I’ve never heard of Jamie Coreth, but he can paint. He managed to really capture their awkwardness too.
As for Kate’s look at the museum, she wore a new dress (?) from LK Bennett, one of her favorite labels. Her clutch is from Emmy London and I don’t have ID on the coat. The coat actually looks new to me as well, but I can’t always tell – she just has so many blue coats.
Photos courtesy of Instar.
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Artist Jamie Coreth -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Cambridge, UK -20220623- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William during a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to view a painted portrait of themselves as it is revealed to the public for the first time. The piece, painted by award-winning portrait artist, Jamie Coreth, was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
That’s an excellent portrait. Too bad about the subjects.
The artist took a lot of artistic license especially with William. His suit looks like it fits – that is not historically accurate!
Them not looking at each other is true to life.
He looks very slim here. What hair he has left on top is less wispy.
Artistic license with Kate’s bust line as well, she is fuller in all the right places. The portrait is beautiful, subjects, meh…
Also what in the world is she wearing in these photos, it looks awful.
I was just going to ask if he ever looks at her! Every photo is her gazing adoringly, and him staring off into space, or speaking to someone beside her and her grinning like she’s in the conversation. And it’s telling how even in a portrait their bodies are angled away from each other. Warts and all indeed.
I’m shocked Wills didn’t demand his old hairline back for this.
The artist did a great job with what he had to work with.
Well, it’s not the Anne of Cleves portrait.
I’ll say the artist took artistic license: He gave William more hair atop his head, positioned him in a stance I’ve never seen Willima take, and gave Kate a bosom.
William said “It’s quite big” huh? If I’d been there, I would have asked in all innocence, “Can you see the bigness by looking at it?”
Um, even right after she had babies Kate never had a bust like that. It’s like triple chicken cutlets holding that dress up…..
I think it sucks. Not because it’s not representational, but because it is SO representational. Why paint something from a photograph when you can just print a large photograph?! The artist is supposed to put their stamp and style into their work. If you must paint from a photograph then move AWAY from perfect likeness and go for essence and be interesting with your brush strokes and settings and background. Instead, we just get plain and boring. It’s perfect.
Totally agree.
I’m sure he was provided with an already edited photograph and told to recreate it. Remember the portrait of Kate and how it showed her real face?
I came here to say the same thing. It looks like a photograph and if it was to look like a photograph why is their gaze elsewhere? Makes no sense as a painting. Especially an official painting. She looks a little like Leighton Meester in this painting.
M
That portrait was amazing. Kate looked like an evil villain and she chose the photo and the artist nailed it.
This portrait actually makes her look like someone else. It resembles a younger, different Kate.
To me, it looks like two different people’s bodies with W&K’s heads grafted on.
and THAT’S the pose they went with?
I don’t think it’s from a photo in Ireland… Kate’s hair were shorter back then and she hadn’t opted for the long straight hair we see in the portrait. They probably took another photo wearing the same clothes and the artist painted it from there (I wonder why they chose to associate with their visit to Ireland). That said, I believe that they couldn’t possibly spend so many hours together to pose that’swhy the artist used a photo. The portrait, however, is good.
I think this portrait captured their bored but pretending to listen and be interested look pretty well. That’s the nicest thing I’m coming up with.
LOL. If going to view a portrait of themselves is a work engagement. That is laughable. On the other hand, if the Cambridges consider going to look at a portrait of themselves together work….that’s just really funny(and close to the truth).imo
It looks like a photograph, not sure from an artistic view if that is good or bad. Probably just boring.
@TeamAwesome- I was going to say the same thing!!! Horrible people in the portrait, but WOW that is a seriously impressive painting. It looks like a photograph but warmer. Makes me want to take an art class.
Kate looks like a combination of Rose Hanbury and Jecca Craig!! Ups.. 😂😂
This is a different kind of photoshop. In the picture, W is thinner, has a better shape and more hair. In contrast to her otherwise male figure, K suddenly has breasts and her usually very thick arms are suddenly thinner… Well, someone is very unhappy with themself…
The technique is fine, but the portrait just looks like a photograph. The pose seems awkward. The setting is meh. It seems an odd choice for an official portrait.
After the Portrait of Dorian Keen that was painted for her and then never seen again, I can see them *wanting* something this photorealistic and “enhanced”.
I think it looks beautiful but it is also hilarious that they seem indifferent to one another even in a portrait. All the lols.
I’m sure Carol will have her own copy to hang above her fireplace.
It looks like he took two photos and smashed them together. That’s why the painting has no intimacy.
Yes, it’s a weird choice.
There’s an interesting body language theory about the position of someone’s feet being an indicator of their feelings. Can’t help notice Bill’s ‘I’m outta here’ stance in this photo.
The side eye look of the subjects non looking at each other is quite good
It’s quite telling. The focal point of the picture is Catherine’s dress (just as it would be in real life). William is trying to look as if he’s in command, but in fact he looks insignificant next to that bright, shiny dress. And Catherine is somewhat self-consciously looking at someone who’s instructing them on how to pose. No interaction between the couple; no gracious or regal expression. The same effect could have been (and often has been) achieved just by snapping a picture of them.
Oh, my goddy God. This is execrable. She’s all thrusting bust, and he looks as though he’s had his face stitched on a billiard ball.
So glad I was nowhere near Cambridge today. Haven’t saved up enough rotten fruit.
you have lots of time, it’s staying for a number of years as this painting is their gift to the people of Cambridgeshire.
Based on how the background is painted, I would expect that we might see a (better) John Singer Sargent portrait lurking behind those two if they moved aside.
It’s technically effective, but it’s a glamour portrait in oil paint and not on the level that the greats could pull that off: Sargent, Van Dyck, Raeburn, Ramsay, and so forth. The best portraits are both technically virtuosistic and psychologically revealing. This pretty thing is serviceable on the former and lacking in the latter.
Yes, we needed someone to assess this with an artistic critical eye.
The lovey-dovey looks she gives him are a bit too much for me.
Yeah she’s always looking at him! And he *never* looks at her.
It’s pitiful.
That’s what I came here to say! He NEVER looks at her. She’s always looking adoringly at him. He always looks like he is working hard to NOT look at her.
You mean k8 looks at willie, like she use to look at harry?.
I always wonder if she is trying to get the William & Kate version of that H&M rain photograph. And William just will not cooperate.
@olliesmom I don’t know if I would agree that she looks at him adoringly, I would describe it as desperate with a soupcon of longing – not in the lusty sense but more like ‘please, please acknowledge my existence.’
She’s got a pleading puppy look.
To me she’s trying to do a copy when Meg was looking at Harry
If you Google you can see 🙈 that she copy’s her down to the tilt of the 🗣️.
Is anyone getting this is there sad version of Meghans and Harry’s time cover magazine shoot. When has William EVER posed like that
Google his recent poses. He’s never stood up like that. They try so hard to be like California and it comes across like a sad version of copycats
I can’t unsee it now.
So right about his stance—so not him!
Yeah, too much for me too. Everyone wants to be loved but I’d have to put a stop it. That may seem crazy but those adoring looks (which seems like 9 out of 10 with her) are just downright creepy. You don’t have to love or admire me that hard or to the point where I’m creeped out.
Reminds me of how Nancy Reagan used to go all goo-goo eyes at Ronny.
Maybe it’s now intentional…she’s expecting him to dump her and she can show all these photos to show what a cold bastard he was “ like father like son” for the sympathy card…
It’s all calculated. When he divorces her she’ll be able to tearfully proclaim: ‘but I adored him. It was not I who refused affection.
So many extensions….so little intelligence.
That portrait makes them looks like ventriloquist dolls that miraculously came to life.
It’s a nice portrait. I do like that green dress.
You can tell William is totally over it, though.
OMG! The ruffles! This look won’t age well in future decades.
Its a very good portrait – my congrats to the artist. But yeah shame about the awkward as fk subjects. He managed to make Khate look younger.
I can’t get over their posing and her looking away – its clear he was given a photo that they picked and told ‘paint it’.
Not only is she looking away, put leaning away. As always, “space” between them, figuratively and literally. William, as always, looks like he’s smelling a fart.
But DU, it’s like they have their arms around each other. I can’t recall a photo like that from Ireland. That was a bumpy tour during the Sussexes 2020 “farewell”
This isn’t from the Ireland tour – I just went and looked at the post Kaiser linked. When she wore this dress on that tour, there was no brooch, and she wore different shoes, AND her hair was a lot shorter, AND the earrings were different.
So they must have posed for this portrait (or for a picture that this portrait was made from.)
so her wearing this dress a second time was a CHOICE lol.
Becks- spot on catch. I took a look and the shoes she wore in Ireland were green velvet Manolo Blahniks. These look like Blahnik’s green satin jeweled shoes. I searched What Kate Wore and I don’t think these shoes have ever been seen in public on her.
Did she get new shoes for portrait posing?
I am pretty sure we have never seen her in those shoes, so she must have gotten them just for this. But, I could be wrong.
who wears an ugly dress and then thinks, “oh yes, I will wear that again and have it immortalized in a portrait with new expensive accessories!!! I’m so relatable!”
Becks- betting the brooch and probably earring are loaned from TQ. Gotta have some royal bling. The shoes were probably bought to match the jewels.
I can’t help but think that she may have chosen this specific dress as a way of cosplaying Diana. There is that one very famous portrait of Diana and Charles where she is wearing an emerald green gown with poofy capped sleeves. The color of the dress always has stood out. I wouldn’t be shocked if she chose this dress for that reason.
If nothing else, this portrait shows Kate’s not leaving for a long time.
Becks1,I haven’t seen your post when I comment above but you’re absolutely right… Kate has adopted this particularly hairstyle quite recently and certainly not during their tour in Ireland.
The brooch looks like TQ’s “Duchess of Cambridge” brooch.
That brooch looks way too heavy for that fabric. It would be sagging.
Huh, no all white outfit? What’s different about this event?
So, the portrait is nice in terms of skill. The pose, expressions, clothes, shoes are so freaking awful.
Yes! That dress is ugly!
THAT DRESS IS BEYOND UGLY…BEYOND UGLY!
That’s up there in my top 3 worst dresses Kate has ever worn. I call it the Andes Mint Wrapper dress. It’s awful. The painting improved it a bit though thanks to the artist’s skill.
The green dress is HIDEOUS! Choosing a classic silhouette for a portrait seems like a no brainer, but here we are.
The dress for the viewing looks like a nightgown…and I want it lol. Not appropriate for the occasion, but it will go great with my garden cocktails.
I went back to look at the previous appearance of this dress, and the artist has made it look much nicer than it deserves. I think he did a great job of balancing reality and the idealism expected of a royal portrait.
The execution of that portrait is first rate. I hate that dress, but he captured the hue and shimmer perfectly — it’s impressive. He also accurately captured Bulliam’s smug expression and their usual state of looking away or past each other. 😏
Even in the portrait he’s still not looking at her. Is this taken from a photo? It looks like Kate has her arm around Will, but where is Will’s other arm? It doesn’t seem to be around Kate. This makes her look so clingy.
And the expressions- like he’s guiltily looking at his mistress and she’s sadly thinking “where did my life go wrong?”
He is actually holding a Rose behind his back and thus that stupid look on his face.
I actually wondered if they posed for this because I have never seen William stand like that. He always looks so stiff and uncomfortable, especially around Kate.
I agree that the painter did a wonderful job. He is very talented.
So, to be nice first – I think its a really good portrait. I hated that dress on Kate lol, but the color of it looks really good here, and the pose is kind of cute, even if a little awkward.
the not-nice – sooooo is this William’s 40th bday portrait? What is the point of this portrait, if it isnt that – just a portrait of them for this museum?
And yes, I am 99% sure that is a new dress and new coat for Kate.
I thought the monarchs usually had a few portraits done of them throughout their lives? Not sure if it’s an official 40th birthday portrait, but it does seem to make sense to do a portrait of both of them right around when they turn 40. I’m apparently in the minority here, but I actually liked that dress and I think the color and texture of it went itself nicely to a painting. The artist did a very nice job on this one!
Except that Kate had three portraits done for her 40th, by herself, without William, and all William gets for his 40th (as the actual future future monarch) is a portrait with Kate?
I’m wondering if some of these new pieces we’re seeing were part of the Jubbly wardrobe that might have gotten ditched at the last second because of optics?? I do sort of like the dress and coat, or rather I like the color scheme.
That dress already looks very dated and will only look worse over time. It would only work in a 90s goth reenactment.
It’s a good copy of a photoshopped image of both of them because it doesn’t capture what they actually look like but the idealized image they want to portray, which is par for the course with most monarchy portraiture. (Kate never had boobs like that so the artist is being very generous there and William’s hairline doesn’t look like that either)
The hilarious part is that even with an idealized view of them William still can’t be bothered to look at his wife and she’s turned into him looking for attention that she will never get.
I have never been married, but if this is as good as it gets with a man who can never look at me, I would rather never get married than put up with someone like William.
If they were honest the pretend fairy tale nonsense wouldn’t be as jarring in this clearly transactional relationship. No woman with self respect puts up with this treatment unless there is a form of payment. Kate and Melania are the same woman in that respect. The British media just pretends that the Queen consort tiara is worth sacrificing your soul.
It’s a fine portrait. Where is his right arm supposed to be? Based on the tilt of his shoulders, it would be odd for it to be around her back…
She looks nice in the dress and blue coat. Is it ever warm enough to go coatless in London?
We get like 4 days in June where arms can definitely be out and days where it’s nice but chilly with the wind and cloud. We’ve had some great days this week but today is grim.
But I like the coat. I think If the floaty dress hit at the knee they’d look better together as the closeness in hems to her ankles is a bit blah.
William looks… good(??) in this painting? Like the tailoring of his jacket and tapered waist is dare I say, fairly attractive.
I like the coat itself, except for the sharp shoulders that she loves so much, but the coat length and the dress length make Kate look like she’s wearing a bathrobe over her nightie.
I was wondering the same thing because i don’t think he is holding her. Also his waist looks awfully tiny. And Kate face is not that full
I don’t like that lady’s dress at all. The artist is clearly talented, unfortunately his subject are grotesque, inside and out. KKKate seems extra thirsty with Willy in these photos. Trying to catch his eye and connect? So desperate.
Bet this painting was commissioned right after the Time magazine photos.. talented artist crappy subject material 🫤
(And of course this is the kind of work they love best, admiring themselves🙄)
I agree.
He’s posing in the exact same way Harry was on the Time Magazine cover. William is just like his wife. CopyKeening all over the place.
I am trying to think what people 100 or 200 years from now will think and say when they see this portrait. It is quite good but it just leaves me thinking: what is the message here??? The pose for Wills just looks off. And damn Kate cannot dress at all. Even the pics to the showing. The awkwardness is screaming at me. But the artist, no matter how good, is limited when the subjects are lack-luster.
I hadn’t thought of that but you’re right, its totally insane that 200 years on this picture will probably still exist and historians will discuss it – whether the monarchy survives or not. These two insipid people will actually be preserved for posterity while so many of us who have lead more significant will be long forgotten. F-ing insane
The comment “everything is carefully orchestrated” for the The Firm – no matter what. So this is of course applied here I am sure. So what is the message they want generations to walk away with when they see this portrait?
tbh I think this is the entire point of portrait painting.
I thought too about the significance of this portrait in 200 years. Does this dress stand the test of time? Probably not. The talented artist captured the green beautifully but the dress itself is just not attractive, not now and not in 200 years.
Don’t worry, the planet probably won’t even be around by then.
I don’t think people will be looking at this picture 200 years from now. Museums are filled with pictures of people from history that nobody cares about, unless (1) the artist or the painting itself is noteworthy, which is not the case here. Or, (2) the subjects of painting did something noteworthy to make people interested in them. Only time will tell if #2 will apply, but I strongly suspect William and Kate will do nothing to make them of interest to future generations. The painting will be displayed somewhere (in a palace or museum), but nobody will care.
As an artist, this portrait says nothing to me other than how nicely dressed these people are. It reveals nothing of who they are as people, etc. I guess, William and Kate are lucky that Goya isn’t around doing portraits anymore. His could be merciless.
Does anyone look at portraits of king William and his wife queen Adelaide? That’s what we are dealing with here. These two will be forgotten because they won’t have the lengthy record breaking reign of Elizabeth II and unless William is the last British monarch, he will generally be forgotten as well.
And since there will be photographs that show the real life looks, these portraits won’t be able to conceal that they are idealized here.
Victoria got away with it in her youth because photos did not exist in 1837, but she didn’t get away with it by the end of her reign and no monarch has been viewed solely by their portraits since then.
Something looks off balance in the positioning of things within the frame (not referring to the subjects – to the composition!). Something about Kate looking off to the left, and to her left these curtains or whatever they are. Maybe someone else has an idea…
Very good likenesses though. That dress was awful the first time she wore it, and doesn’t look any better to me now.
I think it’s how her left foot is angled backwards to her left whereas her whole body is turned to her right. It looks like her left foot is twisted in the wrong direction…
The position of their bodies looks like they were physically jockeying for position in the center of the frame, and William won.
Loved that he has caught them musing as though completely disconnected from each other shame he didn’t include a cigarette to capture their true emotional and physical closeness!
Was there any Convo between the lovebirds or just more intense sulking from Chilly Willy and love lorn longing from his waity Kate, still awaiting his acknowledgement of all that he owes her, deepest simper?
Honestly if the monarchy is abolished before William gets the throne, this is the portrait I want to see in the history books. Tentative, looking back in time, awkward, wrong footed. Perfect.
It’s a fascinating portrait. Good royal portraits throughout history have been flattering to their subjects but also have the ability to reveal subtle truths about them. The artist was almost certainly given several photos to help him get features right & to decide how he’d compose the painting.
William looks self-assured, but also arrogant. Kate looks limp, wistful & slightly pulling away from William. They’re both looking away from us, but not quite at the same place. It’s not a portrait of a happy, connected couple.
I think it’s that she’s angled her body to put as much space as she can between the two of them while still holding on. And William is doing some sort of Paris Hilton-esque angle with his legs, but it also looks like he’s very close to running out of the portrait. If you told me they were painted from two different photos and then put together, I’d believe it.
All in all, I’m not sure why anyone would ever sign off on this pose!
Looking back at the March 2020 article, I’m amazed by how much their body language when together has changed even since then, which wasn’t really that long ago.
That’s a very ugly dress very skillfully, photorealistically painted.
Laugh. No way were they going to pick the first artist that “captured” Kate for the National Portrait Gallery. This is a very well done painting/portrait. I hate that dress, and William’s nose is very Picasso-esque. I especially appreciate the tinge of jaundice that was added. Nice touch!
Is it me, or is Kate cosplaying Camilla today with the long coat?
Amazing how he managed to capture Baldy’s smugness in the painting. I don’t understand Keen’s outfit today. The dress and jacket match in terms of colour, but something seems off. Oh well. They continue to be useless.
Of all the outfits to be immortalized in, they picked that one. Oy. Of course that may be the one picture they had where Will didn’t look constipated and fed up with his wife.
I have yet to see one dress from the vampire wife that these people wear that I would consider pretty. These clothes are all fug. Like how does this company make money?
The dress may be a repeat and she’s decided not to wear a slip under this thin chiffon. Katie gotta flash. The coat looks like a knockoff of Diana’s Catherine Walker from Ascot years ago or the famous blue one (Easter?) with William in a matching coat. Creepy she’s in dark green as Diana was for one of the first official portraits of C&D. Maybe Kate and Carole can get this painting in the divorce, surround it with candles, and use it as the altar to pray for William’s second marriage to fail.
Notasugarhere
Lmaooo
Nota, the dress is the one she wore when they had a cosy dinner out together I think maybe last year. She was doing some bizarre prancing pony walk on the way to the car, which stuck out to me because she usually has all the grace of a drunk walrus.
No body here saw Kate show her inner mean self during Royal Ascot. In the video I saw on ig Meghanpeadia. Kate is seen smiling as usual and then she just changes making faces, bringing out this mean look, as she turning away from the people she was talking I don’t if that was Sophie, she looks like she’s saying cursing under her breath. It was so surprising for me. People have said she s a bully but that video captures that. She was like two different people. I think she has cultivated her public persona very well, however, behind the scenes she can be a terror. Hmmmm
That video was something, wasn’t it? Even if it was sped up for effect, it shows some true Kate nastiness coming out in public.
Where can I see the video?
https://youtube.com/shorts/HbEIgpatyVE?feature=share
Thanks nick!
Yeah I see it now. That’s an angry face
I saw this video a few days ago and thought she definitely looks like Cruella DeVille. The accompanying music is perfection too.
Just saw the video. I’m shaking and crying and feel like I’ve been bullied. The way she LOOKED at me!!!
Lusaka mummy, and the most interesting thing about it was that it was done in public. Is KHate slipping? I wonder if we’ll see more of this,
We have already seen Kate slipping several times.. remember the “what else?” comment? Or, the” wow” comment during the jubilee service? Not to mention, previously, several years back, her face in their tour in Poland, or during the commonwealth service…
I saw that online a few days ago and was like ‘yowza!’ 😮
The artist has done an amazing job with the green dress to the point where the painted version looks better than the one in real life. As for W&K, I get the impression that they’ve been painted as they would like to be perceived by the public. K looks youthful; W gives off a “cool”, “trendy” vibe and together they look like a glamorous, “it” couple. The painting should be titled “How We Want You To See Us From Now On”.
He did capture their awkwardness as well as William’s smirk. Maybe to make up for that much honesty, he gave William more hair. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Of course they need a fund for these portraits.
They expect artists to do this for free and have the ‘pleasure’ and ‘experience’ be the pay.
They would never get a artist to do it without that fund.
Is the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund a different way of saying the Royal Foundation of the Ducke and Duchess of Cambridge? I didn’t find anything on it.
The BBC is saying that it’s a ‘gift to the people of the county’.lolz
I’m sure the people are grateful. /s
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61907696
They look like the wax figures they are.
According to the Royal Family’s post about this, the artwork was commissioned in 2021 by the CRPF as a “gift” to the people of the county like you said (lol for days) and that the CRPF is “working with the museum to ensure the portrait is used as a means of encouraging children and young people of all backgrounds from across the county to take an interest in art in all its forms.”
LOLOLOL for days again. “hey kids! Come look at yet another portrait of rich white people wearing expensive clothes and jewels and let that inspire you!!!”
I think if the money spent on this farce had been spent paying for art lessons/classes for those kids, they’d have more “interest/appreciation for art” than to look at these two racist bullies.
A gift for the county? Seriously? During hard economic times, they thought a portrait of their lazy royal duke & duchess would inspire kids and young people? Sigh…so tone deaf.
Donating the fee of the portrait to the county would have been a better touch but, nah.
No offense to the artist, who’s obviously talented, but there’s nothing about this particular work that would encourage me to take an interest in art. It’s “form” is a painting done from a photograph, and if there’s something creative about that, I must’ve missed it.
Yep, lol, looking at a portrait of people is not what engages kids to become interested in art. Fun does. I’m not artistic. Guilty of attempting to draw the pictures in the backs of magazines that could earn you money. Anyone else remember those? As a long ago youngster, loved art class when we did things with leaves and collected stuff from outside to make something. Every day I look at a piece of art that our daughter did when she was in 4th grade. Had it framed. It’s a really cool explosion of different shapes and colors. The art teacher energized them to be creative and to do whatever. Raise your hand if you had to color or draw a profile of George Washington too many times in your youth for his birthday celebration.
I am very surprised that Khate did not have out ‘big blue’ for all to see………….just saying
I think “big blue” is cursed!
It would have been better that this money were used to provide free school lunches for vulnerable children.
You know, the ones suffering as a result of the Cam-adjacent Tories’ policies which are impoverishing the nation.
To raise fund to have a portrait done is so medieval and a huge waste of money in today’s social media world where pictures of the couple are plastered all over the media and available to all and sundry.
Kate’s 3 portrait photos for her 40th birthday must have been costly . I wonder how much is the total cost and who bears the cost
I like it.
That’s all I got.
The coat length and outfit is giving me Meghan’s trench and dress looks at the beginning of Meghan and Harry’s most successful of them all Oceania tour. Also, notice the never seen before Manolos in the painting?
she looks relieved that he isn’t angry.
I think she spends a lot of time on eggshells around him.
he must be quite exhausting.
fani, I think she’s probably just as exhausting. I think for KHate it’s a short trip from rational to angry. That’s something the two of them have in common.
great insight. Thanks.
Isn’t it summer now, why is Kate wearing a long coat? Is the press going to be outraged by this?
Well, it’s England. It might be a little chilly. And it’s a light coat.
I think it looks a bit like a maternity dress. But it’s not bad.
As for the portrait, it is skillfully done. I hate her dress. It’s too shimmery/velvety for day wear but it still looks like a day dress? I mean, there’s nothing special or magic about it but he’s a good artist.
Hmm…I’ve seen her without a coat in colder weather and its seems like the only person wearing a long coat is her.
It’s in the high 70s at almost 7PM, so I think it’s just another one of her Inside Coats. It’s at least a little more casual than the thick, super buttoned up ones she used to wear, but I’ll die on the hill that an Inside Coat always makes you look like you’re only staying for a hot minute. (I can hear my Grandma saying, “Take off your coat and stay awhile!”)
He captured William perfectly right down to the smirk but I keep looking at the portrait and it does not look like Kate. It’s like he looked up a random dark haired woman to paint 😬.
There’s a strict resemblance with the actor (sorry, i don’t know her name) of Downton abbey series in a portrait with her TV “husband”. Someone posted on internet their portrait and her resemblance is incredible!
How on earth did Kate sign off on a portrait where Big Blue was hidden from view?
Daffodil, that was my first thought, too. Very interesting.
I personally think it is cursed!
Nice to see they managed to find a talented artist to paint them- the portrait is good!
Kate looks refreshed. She has looking refreshed since she re emerged from vacations last year, when all the ” moving to Windsor” conversations started.
At that time, I said she looked very happy as in she had negotiated a good deal for herself. She looks like she is going the extra mile in photos all the time and I wonder if the reason is still the addendum to their contract ?
I say that because I remember how it felt for me to go to work everyday after I had quit…It was smiling all the time and being extra friendly to customers. You know, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?
I might be wrong, but this is Kate´s vibe.
But what have they done to rate a portrait
How ironic that Kate is wearing her ‘Vampire’s wife’ dress…
I think the dress is a repeat?
it is giving me the first act of Dorian Gray energy, somehow really creepy
The artist did an amazing job, that’s a beautiful portrait. They should’ve hired him to do the statue of Diana (j/k)
The artist is not only talented, he was very generous with k8’s breast. Willie usually has his hands in front of his male thing.
I think it’s a very good piece of work. That particular dress has been seen on a number of celebrities and I never could see why it’s so popular, but the artist has made it look nicer. I asssume it looks great in real life. The brooch on top of all that glitter is very Queen-like, so Kate is starting to morph into the brooch thing for posterity? I think both Kate and William seem to be in unfamiliar poses. Trying to figure out what’s happening with William’s right arm. Is it behind his back? The shoulders make it look like the arm is hanging down. I also took a second to recognize Kate, but I think it does look like her. This is a more traditional portrait that is in the same vein as other European royal couples. I’m glad the artist didn’t have to paint Kate’s teeth.
The painter really captured their awkward distant vibe. He was generous about William’s physique – something royal painters have been doing since the dawn of time 🙂
William’s barely suppressed tantrum face is well captured too.
That’s actually a great point! Artists have long learned the importance of showing their high-paying customer as they want to be seen, not necessarily as they are. And royal portraits were often more symbolic of power than anything else.
I seem to be in a minority by liking the green dress and it’s looks nice in the portrait too. The artist has done a good job. The portrait is nice but they both look quite sad and distant in it. Interesting ……
As for today’s outfit, I think she looks nice in it but I’m irritated as usual by yet another new outfit when she has plenty of others that could be worn again. The lovesick gazes she gives Whiny are getting ridiculous. I think she is trying too hard to pretend all is well in the marriage.
I like the dress too, for what it’s worth.
Not sure if it’s been mentioned upthread (apologies if it has) her shoes are Hangisi 105 Green Satin Pumps’ by Manolo Blahnik (which surprised me) I thought Roger Vivier was the fav British royal shoe brand. I also associate Hangisi with SJP from SATC. Hated those fkn blue shoes, but the green is even uglier. The brooch is on loan from Liz. It’s The Duchess of Cambridge brooch. First time wear https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2022/06/kate-wears-a-special-royal-brooch-in-a-new-joint-portrait.html IMHO these huge antique relics are so gauche & tone deaf because we all know they came from dubious means
And those are Diana’s Collingworth pearl drop earrings which Kate wore in her own wedding ghost birthday portrait. And while the rendition is beautiful, it’s not my first choice of dress I’d have made and the portrait leaves me cold. When you look at formal portraits of other royal houses, they still convey warmth of expression and intimacy despite wearing gowns, tiaras and military uniforms. This pair just doesn’t and that side look pose just conveys the impression of unwillingness to look at the viewer.
Edit to add that the pearl bracelet is Diana’s too.
All I can see is that the painting gives her a voluptuous curvy bosom she doesn’t actually have. And there seems be some extra padding on his combover, too.
Anyone notice Kate’s new lips?
I wonder how long they’re going to continue to airbrush her. We all saw what she looked like in Denmark and her first portrait revealed her true face. Now suddenly she looks younger?? Please.
No amount of wiglets, PS,make up and photoshop is going to stop the ageing process.
Yeah kate looks like she has a Kylie Jenner Instagram filter on her face. Since when did she have any lips?
Lol, “It’s quite big,” is priceless. If William weren’t such a rancid creature, I’d be charmed by this reaction.
Is the dress in the portrait from The Vampire’s Wife? Is she trying to send a message?
William seems to have more personality in this. While Kate isn’t lifeless, she just looks like “insert generic pretty lady here.” Maybe so it’s easier for someone to copy and paste the next wife’s head in.
You’d have to watch them all week and four times on Sunday to catch him looking in her direction even once. My goodness, even in the portrait they’re leaning away from each other and disconnected.
What an ego trip for them
The dress she’s wearing under the blue coat looks like a hospital gown.
And what’s going on with PW’s hair? He seems to have some sort of combover going on behind his ears.
Why does she always look so dowdy. That dress is frumpy AF.
Wonder if she’s sending a message wearing “the vampire’s wife”
I don’t know, I think it looks kind of weird. Why “sit” for a painting when you can blow up a photo? That’s what this looks like to me. If that’s the look they wanted, they got it, I’m not mad at them. I have a question though, do they every stand like that because I can’t recall ever seeing them touch each other in public. That’s just me though and I don’t pay that much attention.
I think the artist did a really great job with the clothes, especially Kate’s dress. But there’s a weird look to the faces, like a painting that was photoshopped (I know that phrase doesn’t make sense, but I don’t have the words to describe what’s wrong with the texture of the faces).
Is this the first painting done of the 2 together? I can’t remember another one.
Omg I love this dress so much..the Vampires Wife is one of my favourite designers… go Suzy!!
I wonder if William suffers from Kate blindness, he never seems to see her even though she is literally next to him.
So true!
He should have at least matched his tie to her dress
The Fail did an article where some respected critic slagged on how Kate looked in this portrait. He said Kate looked like a “frumpy, inanimate doll” instead of her natural smile. Maybe the artist captured her true essence?
Yes, yes, yes What. You nailed it. I also was thinking that they copied H&M Time look. Except that William is striking Meghan’s pose.
Nah. All the Time pix of Harry and Meghan show them either looking directly at the viewer, or smiling at each other. Willy and Kitty here are looking off-frame at…something.
Someone on Twitter did a side by side of the time cover and this portrait and it looks like W and k are looking at h and M, who are looking straight ahead at the audience. Pretty funny.
What a gorgeous portrait! They’re both so stunning.
Kitty looks better in my browser window with the bottom ruffle cut off the skirt. It helps that the painter augmented the girls. Willy’s smirk is totally fab! But wouldn’t he look better in those slippers with airplanes he wore to Tom Cruise premier?
Hell is freezing over because that’s 3 outfits I like in a row. I like how she made the dress more interesting with the blue coat. The Meghan -esque hair suits her. She looks nice here.
She has got to stop with the adoring stares. It’s ridiculous. He never even looks at her and she just ends up looking pathetic gushing over him like this publicly. Enough already – she’s worse that the most annoying Facebook posters and their “on this day I married my best friend posts” when the guy they are married to is a drunken jackass who hits on everyone, doesn’t help with the kids, and is waiting for the youngest to turn 18 so he can avoid paying child support. Who are you trying to convince this is a great love story Kate? She really needs to stop already.
As for the portrait I like it. I love how the artist captured how disconnected they are. Looking at the painting, his disdain for her and his disinterest in her is palpable. I don’t know how the artist managed to capture this but he did. Only thing missing is a rose front and center in his hand.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
God that dress is atrocious. I hated from the first time I saw it, and everytime afterwards too. It actually seems to get worse.
THe artist gave William a new body. Compare the long, luxurious legs in the painting and William’s real legs going down the stairs with Kate waving at his side. Did the artist give him 6 more inches of leg? And William’s body in the painting looks very fit and elegant, like a slimmed down Fabio on a romance cover (someone must be old enough to remember those days). In fact, he gave William a hot body impeccably posed and clothed. And yes, Kate is looking away from him in the portrait. Heaven forbid if they looked each other and his venom and her frozen smile were portrayed.
The Times of London had a scathing review of the portrait yesterday. It was by Rachel Campbell-Johnston. I can’t link to it but some quotes: “stand obediently , in dark suit and lurid satin, stiff as the columns”… The closing paragraph”: “The couple pose like mannequins made to advertise a modern monarchy, but if you want to meet them in replica you would probably do better to go to Madame Tussauds”.
LMAO
William and Kate both look so fake. Misrepresentation all around.