Prince William and Duchess Kate are now immortalized with brush and canvas.
The royal couple unveiled their first official portrait together on Thursday, sharing photos of a framed painting of the two standing side by side with smirks. British artist Jamie Coreth painted the Duke of Cambridge in a black suit with a teal tie and the Duchess in an emerald green silk robe from The Vampire’s Wife, detailing texture and pattern with every stroke.
“Delighted to see this new portrait unveiled at @fitzmuseum_uk in Cambridge today,” the couple wrote on their shared Instagram account along with a photo of museum patrons looking at the new work.
While the two have official individual portraits that already exist, the one just released counts as their first portrait together.
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Coreth considered the commission “the most extraordinary privilege” of his life.
“I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a way where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified,” Coreth said in a statement. “As this is the first portrait to depict them together, and specifically during their tenure as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I wanted the image to evoke a sense of balance between their public and private lives.”
The portrait will be on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge for three years and will then travel to other galleries in Cambridgeshire. In 2023, the artwork will briefly move to the National Portrait Gallery in London to mark the reopening of the institution.
Some of the first portraits of Duchess Kate and Prince William were criticized by art critics in 2014. One of William’s first portraits was unveiled in 2010, featuring the young royal alongside his brother, Prince Harry, created by artist Nicky Philipps. The painting hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Kate previously wore the dress in March 2020 while traveling with William in Ireland, just before the pandemic hit. She donned the dress for a party, hosted by the British Ambassador to Ireland, at the end of the first day of their three-day trip.
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