New Portraits of Kate Middleton and King Charles III Stir Controversy Online

A new portrait of Kate, the Princess of Wales, is drawing mixed reactions online, just a week after a similar response to a portrait of her father-in-law, King Charles III.

Tatler magazine commissioned the portrait of Kate Middleton, Prince William’s wife, as part of a series featuring the British royal family. Unveiled on Wednesday as the magazine’s cover, the portrait was inspired by Kate’s appearance at the first state banquet of King Charles’ reign in November 2022. She wore a Jenny Packham gown, a bracelet from the late Queen Elizabeth II, and earrings that belonged to the late Princess Diana.

Kate did not sit for the portrait. Instead, the artist, British-Zambian Hannah Uzor, reviewed over 189,000 photos of Kate to “capture her likeness,” according to Tatler.

Uzor emphasized the importance of capturing Kate’s “soul” in the painting. “It’s really important to capture the soul of the person, so I spent a lot of time looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, on diplomatic visits, rowing, or visiting children in a hospice,” Uzor said in a Tatler Instagram video. “It has been really interesting for me to get a sense of who she is.”

Uzor explained that she chose the Jenny Packham gown for its “physically striking” appearance, which made Kate look “very regal and very confident.”

However, reactions online have been mixed. Many commenters argue the portrait does not resemble Kate, who has been out of the public eye since January due to surgery and a subsequent cancer diagnosis.

“The painting is beautiful but does not look like the princess,” one Instagram commenter wrote.

“I don’t understand this painting. I don’t see a resemblance to the princess in any way,” another commented.

Some compared Kate’s portrait to the recently unveiled portrait of King Charles, with one commenter noting, “Coming after the King Charles portrait debacle, you’d think they’d make sure it was perfect.”

The portrait of Charles, over 6 feet tall with a striking red background, shows him in the Welsh Guards uniform, a role he has held since 1975. Unlike Kate’s portrait, Charles’ was painted by Jonathan Yeo over four sittings across two years, according to Buckingham Palace.

Reactions to Charles’ portrait were similarly mixed. While some praised its modern style, others were less impressed. “I think this is beautiful and such a break from the traditional portraits,” one commenter wrote.

“I’m sorry but his portrait looks like he’s in hell,” another wrote.

“I would have loved this if it was any other color than red,” another added. “He really captured the essence of him in the face, but the harshness of the red doesn’t match the softness of his expression.”