The intention was good but the result continues to be debated. The new portrait of Kate commissioned by the British magazine Tatler for its July 2024 issue is about to join the sad list of the most contested representations of the Windsors…
Lately, art and the British royal family don’t seem to get along well. On May 14, the first official portrait of Charles III was barely unveiled when he already succumbed to an avalanche of scathing criticism. Deemed excessively red, with a satanic tendency, the canvas of contemporary painter Jonathan Yeo reveals the worst of Internet users. And now in the fray of terrible portraits is added the unofficial one of Kate who appears on the cover of the magazine Tatler of the month of July.
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It is a tribute to the “strength and dignity” of the Princess of Wales. British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor wished to salute her courage in the face of cancer. Her diagnosis, revealed on March 22 through a video message, “without a doubt” changed the way the painter originally wanted to represent the mother of Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte. And if Kate’s majestic character is very present, her physical resemblance is at least questioned…
Only her dress and her tiara allow her to be identified.
This immaculate cape dress designed by one of her favorite designers, Jenny Packham, the “Lover’s Knot” tiara – her favorite like her mother-in-law before her -, the position of her hands and this instantly recognizable sapphire engagement ring of Ceylon surrounded by 14 diamonds… No, the signs are not deceiving: it is indeed the future queen of the United Kingdom. Hannah Uzor was indeed inspired by her sumptuous appearance at the first state banquet organized by King Charles in honor of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at Buckingham Palace on November 22, 2022. Internet users and royal experts agree to emphasize the meticulous respect for these details. But their compliments stop there.
“It looks like it was painted by a child,” said one of the users of X, formerly Twitter. Another is offended by the lack of resemblance: “Is this a joke? It’s not the princess, it’s another woman in her dress. (…) This cover should not be published in this way . This is an insult to Princess Catherine!” Many users do not recognize Kate’s familiar facial features. “If she wasn’t wearing that dress, I would have no idea who it was.” Has the artist already forgotten her since her withdrawal from public life to undergo chemotherapy in peace? Some people say this, not without irony.
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Even Alex Bury, managing director of the London art gallery Grove Gallery, confides Daily Mail that the work fails to fully express the intensity suggested by its title. For him, it is not a question of strength and dignity, but of a form of atony which does not highlight the personality of the Princess of Wales. “These eyes fail to capture her true beauty and engaging presence. This discrepancy between the serene, almost passive expression of the portrait and the vibrant personality seen in her public appearances detracts from the overall impact of the work lacks the femininity, power and dignity that it naturally exudes. The critic does not mince his words.
For this third cover of the monthly dedicated to a member of the royal family – after that of Elizabeth II for her platinum jubilee in 2022 and that of newly crowned Charles III in 2023 – the artist says he went through more than 189,000 photos of Kate . “When you can’t meet the model in person, you have to look at everything you can find and piece together the subtle human moments revealed in different photographs, Hannah Uzor tells Tatler. Do they have a particular way of standing or holding their heads or hands? Do they have a recurring gesture?” In the background, the blue and green shades relate to “the color of his eyes” and the hues of a garden or water, “rowing being one of his sports (favorite)” confides the portraitist. Although it is not unanimous, this meticulously composed painting is nevertheless intended to be a true testimony of love and admiration for the Princess of Wales.
