The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge speak with artist Paul Emsley. (Getty Images)
The first official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge has been unveiled by Britain’s National Portrait Gallery and opinions are divided on the painting.
The portrait shows the Duchess in a somber background with a serious but smiling expression. There are shadows and creases under her eyes and her normally shiny brunette tresses look slightly dull.
Kate and her hubby Prince William spent some 10 minutes viewing the portrait this morning in London before it went on display for the public in the afternoon, the Telegraph reports. Wills called it “just beautiful.” Kate said it’s “absolutely brilliant.”
But not everyone loves it. Robin Simon, editor of the British Art Journal and a Daily Mail art critic, said “Fortunately, the Duchess of Cambridge looks nothing like this in real life. I’m really sad to say this is a rotten portrait.”
Many Twitter users have also been harsh with their reactions. “That new portrait of Kate Middleton is awful — they’ve aged her 20 years!” one commenter wrote. (Kate just celebrated her 31st)
The painting was done by Paul Emsley, the 2007 winner of the Gallery’s BP Portrait Award competition.
“The Duchess explained that she would like to be portrayed naturally — her natural self — as opposed to her official self,” Emsley said in a statement.
He added, “She struck me as enormously open and generous and a very warm person. After initially feeling it was going to be an unsmiling portrait, I think it was the right choice in the end to have her smiling — that is really who she is.”
According to reports, Kate took part in an initial meeting to talk through the process of the painting. This was followed by two sittings, in May and June 2012, at the artist’s studio in the West Country, England and Kensington Palace.