Although the Princess of Wales has been with the Firm for over a dozen years, there aren’t really many portraits of her. Sure, there were those photos she arranged for her 40th birthday. There was also a painting of Kate and William completely last year, I think? But beyond that, the only major solo portrayal of Kate was done in 2013, and it was so bad that even pro-Waity people hated it. The painting was done by Paul Emsley and Emsley took one look at that wig and decided to paint Kate as a Victorian ghost, haunting all of Britain. Well, it took ten years, but Kate finally got that portrait to move away and out of sight. By Eden Confidential:
When the first official royal portrait of the Princess of Wales was released to the public a decade ago, Catherine was typically courteous, describing Paul Emsley’s efforts as “brilliant, absolutely stunning.” However, critics were less kind, condemning it as “appalling… rotten… a total disaster” in one instance. Another commented, acidly: “The only saving grace is that it’s not by Rolf Harris.”
Now, I can reveal that the work has been consigned to storage at the National Portrait Gallery, even though it is the London institution’s only solo painting of our soon-to-be queen. It can be consulted ‘by appointment in our archive’.
Catherine is the royal patron of the Trafalgar Square gallery and there are rumors that she may be secretly pleased that the work is no longer on public view.
“It is unthinkable that the painting of His Royal Highness would be removed from public view without consulting it,” a source tells me. That would be very rude. She is our highly valued patron.
The oil painting featured prominently from its unveiling in 2013 until 2018. It was then loaned for a touring exhibition around the world until the gallery closed for £35m in renovation work in 2020.
When the princess reopened the gallery last month to great fanfare, only two works bearing her likeness remained on display: a painting, by Jamie Coreth, of her with her husband, Prince William, and a photograph by Paolo Roversi, an Italian fashion photographer, taken to mark her 40th birthday in 2022.
Emsley’s ‘dead eyes’ painting, which sparked worldwide controversy for making the princess appear older than she was, was not the only prominent royal portrait to disappear when the gallery reopened. Nicky Philipps’s 2010 painting of Princes William and Harry in their Household Cavalry dining uniform has been withdrawn from public display.
(From the Daily Mail)
Honestly, I haven’t looked at the painting in years, but I remember the controversy at the time. The painting was never popular: people who had neutral or negative feelings about Kate found it creepy, and people who loved Kate thought the painting made her look old and from before cosmetic surgery. I find it more interesting to think that maybe Kate didn’t even have anything to do with the portrait she shuffled around. What if this is a bigger message that, um, Kate is about to shuffle somewhere too? There is something in the air. I still say it’s remarkable that there are also so few official portraits of Kate, especially now that she’s Princess of Wales.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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North American Sales Only: London, Great Britain 7/19/12: Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Olympic exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. The Duchess of Cambridge is the Patron of the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition features commissioned photographs documenting the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. -PHOTO: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) -PHOTO: Michael Dunlea/Startraksphoto.com -BAR_9326067 Startraks Photo New York, NY To license, call 212-414-9464 or email sales@startraksphoto. com Featuring: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) Where: London, Great Britain, United Kingdom When: 19 Jul 2012 Credit: Michael Dunlea/Startraksphoto .com **North American sales only**
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STRICTLY NO UK SALES. January 11, 2013: HRH’s Official Portrait of Her The Duchess of Cambridge, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK. Artist Paul Emsley had two sessions with the Duchess, and she asked him to portray her naturally, her natural self, as opposed to her official self. Mr Emsley found the Duchess “hugely open, generous and a very warm person” Mandatory Credit: Paul Emsley/Supplied by INFphoto.com Ref: inf-00 IMPORTANT NOTICE: Attached image provided by Insight News & Features, Inc. (INF). INF does not own, nor does it claim to own, the copyright or any license to the image. All fees charged by INF for the image are for the supply of the material and do not convey to the user any copyright or license, nor are they intended to do so. By agreeing to submit the image, the end user accepts full responsibility for obtaining copyright clearance from the copyright holder prior to publication. In addition, End User agrees to fully indemnify INF from and against any and all legal claims, demands, or causes of action arising out of or related to User’s use or posting of the Image. If the end user does not or cannot comply with all of the above restrictions, the image must not be used or posted by that end user. |sp| Featuring: Kate Middleton, Catherine Middleton, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Where: London, United Kingdom When: 11 Jan 2013 Credit: INFphoto.com
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The Princess of Wales during a visit to the Percy Community Center in Bath, to meet some of the young people supported by the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust youth development charity. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Bath, UK When: 16 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY**
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The Princess of Wales comes to the Foundling Museum in London to meet people with lived experience in the foster system, as well as foster carers and foster parents to learn about their experiences. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, UK When: 25 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY**
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The Princess of Wales with relative carers and children during a visit to Saint Pancras Community Association in Camden, northwest London, to meet relative carers, hear about their experiences of raising a relative’s or friend’s child and the vital role they play in raising the next generation. Kinship care is when a child is cared for by extended family or close friends if they cannot stay with her birth parents. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, UK When: 25 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY**
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The Princess of Wales, Patron of the V&A, officially opens the Young V&A, Bethnal Green. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, UK When: 28 Jun 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS ONLY**
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