Vampire Gown And Royal Brooch. Stupendous Portrait Unveiled
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge inaugurated their first official portrait, painted by a British artist. The painting was unveiled as the royal couple visited the University of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum.
It is the first official joint portrait on canvas of Kate Middleton and Prince William painted by British artist Jamie Coreth.
The artwork shows Kate in a 1962 emerald gown by trendy designer The Vampire's Wife. The Duchess first wore this dress during a historic three-day visit to Dublin in March 2020. She accessorized the gown with $1100 Manolo Blahnik green satin pumps. She is seen posing with her arm wrapped around the elegant Prince William, who is dressed in a sharp suit with a blue tie.
The First Portrait Of The Duke & Duchess Of Cambridge
In the painting, Kate Middleton wears an exquisite brooch, a special loan from the monarch made by royal jeweler Garrard in the mid 19th Century for Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel.
According to online expert The Court Jeweller, the brooch was passed to Augusta's younger daughter, Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck, and then onto her daughter, the future Queen Mary, wife of King George V. She loved it so much that she wore it frequently throughout her life, including at the christening of her grand-daughter Elizabeth, in 1926, as well as at the christening of her great-grandson, Prince Charles, in 1948.
The Queen inherited the brooch in 1953.
The portrait was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire.
"I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified," the painter said.
"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."
