Prince William and Kate Middleton are no strangers to having their pictures published. Photographers show up everywhere the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge go, and the Duchess even enjoys sharing family pictures with the public during special times of the year.
However, the royal couple has never been featured in a commissioned painting before, despite their many years together, until now. Their new portrait, unveiled at the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum on June 23, was painted by British artist Jamie Coreth, one of the country’s leading portrait artists.
Coreth told Sky News that his goal for the painting was to capture the many dynamics of the Duke and Duchess.
“I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified,” he said, according to Sky News.
Prince William and Middleton were at the museum for its debut and shared their enthusiasm for Coreth’s work on their official Twitter account.
“Delighted to see this new portrait unveiled at the @FitzMuseum_UK in Cambridge today!” the couple posted, along with a photo of the work.
Delighted to see this new portrait unveiled at the @FitzMuseum_UK in Cambridge today!
Jamie Coreth pic.twitter.com/36e9k4YOaN
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) June 23, 2022
The portrait was commissioned back in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund as a gift to the eastern English county of Cambridgeshire, according to People.
Sky News reported that Prince William praised the artist’s “amazing” work and joked that the portrait is “quite big.”
The silk emerald-green dress Middleton wears in the portrait is the same one she showed off during a 2020 visit with Prince William to Dublin, Ireland.
The royal portrait will remain at the Fitzwilliam Museum for three years. However, it will take a brief detour to London’s National Portrait Gallery in 2023 to mark its grand reopening after a long refurbishment.
Coreth said having the chance to paint the royal couple for their first official joint portrait was an honor and a privilege he won’t forget.
“A surreal and extraordinary experience to have had my painting of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge unveiled today at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge,” he shared on his Instagram account. “It has been the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture.”
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