Art critics have condemned a new portrait of Britain's Princess of Wales which was meant to capture her courage and dignity.
The painting by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor, which is to feature on the cover of Tatler magazine, took inspiration from Kate’s cancer diagnosis video message.
But social media users poked fun at the canvas, questioning the likeness.
One asked, “Is this a parody?”, while another wrote, “That is never the princess, that is another woman in her dress”, and others branded it “dreadful”.
The Telegraph’s chief art critic Alastair Sooke called the depiction “egregiously, intolerably, jaw-hits-the-floor bad”, asking: “Has there been a flatter, more lifeless royal portrait in living memory?”
The image shows the princess at the first state banquet of King Charles’s reign.
Another X user praised Uzor’s style, saying: “Love the artist… she’s very stylish”. But they added: “The painting, while lovely… doesn’t look like the Princess of Wales…”
Last week saw the unveiling of the first official portrait of Britain's King Charles to be completed since his coronation.
Jonathan Yeo’s depiction of Charles shows the British monarch bathed in a dramatic blood red hue.
Commentators described it as like a poster for a horror movie, and others said it appeared as if Charles was “burning in hell”.
Kate’s portrait is set against a green-blue background – a nod to Kate’s eye colour and the experience of being in a garden and on water, reflecting the princess’s love of rowing, Uzor said.
Asked whether the princess’s recent cancer diagnosis video gave her a new perspective, Uzor said: “Without a doubt. All my portraits are made up of layers of a personality, constructed from everything I can find about them.”
Kate’s public address showed “a moment of dealing with something difficult, speaking from the heart, having the courage to tackle it head-on”, she added.
The princess did not sit for the portrait and Uzor researched photos of her to inform her work, saying she had found more than 189,000 images of Kate in a picture archive.
The artist expressed her admiration for the princess, who has stepped away from the public spotlight while she undergoes chemotherapy.
“She has really risen up to her role – she was born for this. She carries herself with such dignity, elegance and grace,” Uzor said.
The painter, based in St Albans in England, is, like Kate, a mother of three, and added: “‘I sense with her the joy of motherhood.”
