A new portrait of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled on Thursday, marking the first joint painting of the pair.
Prince William and Catherine unveiled the painting during a day’s visit to Cambridge, heading to the Fitzwilliam Museum, where the portrait will be on show. It was painted by award-winning British portrait artist Jamie Coreth
A new portrait of William and Catherine has been unveiled. (Fitzwilliam Museum)
The couple met with artist Jamie Coreth, supporters of the project, and Lady Sibyl Marshall, the wife of the late Sir Michael Marshall, who originally proposed the idea to create the portrait.
The new artwork was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by Cambridge Community Foundation. It was seen as a gift to Cambridgeshire, after William was bestowed with the Dukedom by The Queen on his wedding day in 2011.
While William and Kate have been featured in portraits before, this marks the first joint portrait of the couple. It is only the second official portrait of the Duchess.
The portrait sees the couple gazing into the distance, Prince William in a dark suit and blue tie, and Kate wearing an emerald green dress, which the Duchess previously wore on a trip to Dublin in 2020. Catherine is also wearing Cambridge Pearl Pendant, on loan from The Queen, from her own grandmother’s collection.
The artist explained he wished to ‘evoke a feeling of balance between their private and public lives’ with the image.
It features aspects of the City of Cambridge in the background. The painting sees the tones and colours of many of the historical stone buildings that are seen around the city. It also includes the use of a hexagonal architectural motif which can be seen on buildings across Cambridge.
Speaking about the painting, Jamie Coreth said: ”It has been the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture. I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified.
“As it is the first portrait to depict them together, and specifically during their time as The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I wanted the image to evoke a feeling of balance between their public and private lives. The piece was commissioned as a gift for the people of Cambridgeshire, and I hope they will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed creating it.”
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
Visitors will be able to view the portrait at the Fitzwilliam Museum for an initial period of three years, after which the artwork will be exhibited in other community spaces and galleries around Cambridgeshire. The painting will also be loaned to the National Portrait Gallery for a short period in 2023.
