A newly unveiled portrait of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has sparked a wave of mixed reactions online. The painting, commissioned by Tatler magazine, follows closely after a portrait of King Charles III faced similar scrutiny.
Unveiled on Wednesday as Tatler's cover, the portrait of Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William, was inspired by her appearance at the first state banquet of King Charles' reign in November 2022. At the event, she wore a striking Jenny Packham gown, a bracelet from the late Queen Elizabeth II, and earrings from the late Princess Diana.
Here's have a look at the portrait:
The artist, British-Zambian Hannah Uzor, did not have Kate sit for the portrait. Instead, she sifted through over 189,000 photos and watched numerous videos to capture Kate's likeness.
Uzor aimed to capture the "soul" of Kate, saying, "It's really important to capture the soul of the person, so I spent a lot of time looking at her and looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, seeing her in diplomatic visits, seeing her rowing or visiting children in a hospice."
Uzor described her artistic process in a video shared by Tatler on Instagram. She mentioned going through multiple sketches to accurately capture Kate's expression and choosing the Jenny Packham gown because it made Kate look "very regal and very confident."
Despite Uzor's efforts, the portrait received mixed feedback. Many online commenters felt the painting did not resemble Kate. One Instagram user wrote, "The painting is beautiful but does not look like the princess." Another commented, "I don’t understand this painting. I don’t see a resemblance to the princess in any way."
Critics voiced their disappointment, with one user stating, "Disappointing portrait … our POW is far more beautiful," to which another agreed, "A very poor portrait which totally fails to represent the beauty and elegance of the Princess of Wales." A third added, "What a horrible portrait for a beautiful Woman."
Some commenters drew comparisons with the recently unveiled portrait of King Charles III, noting a pattern of mixed reactions. "Coming after the King Charles portrait debacle, you’d think they’d make sure it was perfect," one commenter wrote.
The portrait of King Charles, standing over six feet tall and featuring a striking red background, shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards. Unlike Kate's portrait, Charles sat for the painting during four sittings over the course of two years. The artist, Jonathan Yeo, aimed to balance traditional and modern elements, resulting in a piece that also drew mixed reviews.
Opinions on Charles' portrait varied, with some praising it for its break from tradition and others criticising the red background. "I think this is beautiful and such a break from the traditional portraits," one commenter wrote on the palace's Instagram post. Another disagreed, writing, "I'm sorry but his portrait looks like he's in hell."
