Unofficial Princess of Wales portrait enrages fans as artwork branded 'amateurish', 'unflattering' and 'awful'

A mere week after a portrait of King Charles III was unveiled to decidedly mixed reviews, a new painting of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales has been revealed on the cover of Tatler magazine - and many people are not impressed.

The portrait is the work of British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor and has been met with mirth and mockery on social media.

Online commenters have opted to describe it with adjectives such as "ghastly", "horrible", "unflattering" and "awful". Many others have panned the perceived lack of resemblance to Catherine, with some suggesting a child must have been behind the artwork. 

The painting was not an official portrait, instead commissioned for the cover of Tatler's July issue. It depicts the Princess of Wales in a white gown with white gloves, a blue and red sash, a yellow brooch and a tiara, seemingly inspired by the look she wore for the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in November, 2023. 

Uzor told Tatler she had "spent a lot of time looking at [Catherine], looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, seeing her in diplomatic visits, seeing her when she's rowing or visiting children in a hospice."   

"It's been really interesting for me to get a sense of who she is," Uzor continued. "The process for painting this portrait, apart from studying the photographs and the videos, is actually coming up with a sketch... particularly looking at her expression was really key. I've done several sketches trying to capture her expression. And once I'm happy with that, I can then proceed to figure out what she's going to wear. 

"This outfit that I chose was particularly striking. It made her look very regal and very confident. And alongside of that - definitely colour. Colour is one of the most important things in a work of art because it can really speak to the atmosphere. And the colour I chose was something that really compliments Kate Middleton's green eyes."  

However, many viewers didn't quite see Uzor's vision - with the response in Tatler's Instagram comments appearing overwhelmingly negative.  

"This portrait is awful, there are so many amazing artists out there, surely they could have found a better one," one declared, with another adding: "A very poor portrait which totally fails to represent the beauty and elegance of the Princess of Wales."  

"The portraits are getting weirder and weirder. This is quite amateurish, does not resemble HRH. Considering what she's going through, I guess this will give her a good chuckle," said a third, while a fourth commented: "I am not a Kate fan but that portrait is an insult."  

Other reactions ranged from, "Is this a joke?" to "Catherine will not be happy and I can't blame her."  

"I don't necessarily expect art to resemble a photo of the subject, but this has captured nothing of her essence - not even her dimples," another weighed in.  

"Bruh, who is that?" another said more succinctly.  

A few others were more kind, with one noting that while they had great respect for Uzor, she had failed to capture Catherine's "essence".   

In March, the Princess of Wales, 42, announced in a pre-recorded message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.   

Representatives for Kensington Palace and Tatler magazine have yet to comment on the portrait.  

Last week the first official painted portrait of King Charles since his coronation was unveiled at Buckingham Palace, but its unconventional - and very red - approach was not universally well-received.  

Reactions online ranged from "ghoulish" to "kind of like a massacre".  

The artist, Jonathon Yeo, said he was inspired by the vibrant red tunic of the Welsh guards, while the monarch butterfly painted beside him - said to be Charles' idea - was meant to symbolise his "transformation".  

A mere week after a portrait of King Charles III was unveiled to decidedly mixed reviews, a new painting of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales has been revealed on the cover of Tatler magazine - and many people are not impressed.

The portrait is the work of British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor and has been met with mirth and mockery on social media.

Online commenters have opted to describe it with adjectives such as "ghastly", "horrible", "unflattering" and "awful". Many others have panned the perceived lack of resemblance to Catherine, with some suggesting a child must have been behind the artwork. 

The painting was not an official portrait, instead commissioned for the cover of Tatler's July issue. It depicts the Princess of Wales in a white gown with white gloves, a blue and red sash, a yellow brooch and a tiara, seemingly inspired by the look she wore for the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in November, 2023. 

Uzor told Tatler she had "spent a lot of time looking at [Catherine], looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, seeing her in diplomatic visits, seeing her when she's rowing or visiting children in a hospice."   

"It's been really interesting for me to get a sense of who she is," Uzor continued. "The process for painting this portrait, apart from studying the photographs and the videos, is actually coming up with a sketch... particularly looking at her expression was really key. I've done several sketches trying to capture her expression. And once I'm happy with that, I can then proceed to figure out what she's going to wear. 

"This outfit that I chose was particularly striking. It made her look very regal and very confident. And alongside of that - definitely colour. Colour is one of the most important things in a work of art because it can really speak to the atmosphere. And the colour I chose was something that really compliments Kate Middleton's green eyes."  

However, many viewers didn't quite see Uzor's vision - with the response in Tatler's Instagram comments appearing overwhelmingly negative.  

"This portrait is awful, there are so many amazing artists out there, surely they could have found a better one," one declared, with another adding: "A very poor portrait which totally fails to represent the beauty and elegance of the Princess of Wales."  

"The portraits are getting weirder and weirder. This is quite amateurish, does not resemble HRH. Considering what she's going through, I guess this will give her a good chuckle," said a third, while a fourth commented: "I am not a Kate fan but that portrait is an insult."  

Other reactions ranged from, "Is this a joke?" to "Catherine will not be happy and I can't blame her."  

"I don't necessarily expect art to resemble a photo of the subject, but this has captured nothing of her essence - not even her dimples," another weighed in.  

"Bruh, who is that?" another said more succinctly.  

A few others were more kind, with one noting that while they had great respect for Uzor, she had failed to capture Catherine's "essence".   

In March, the Princess of Wales, 42, announced in a pre-recorded message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.   

Representatives for Kensington Palace and Tatler magazine have yet to comment on the portrait.  

Last week the first official painted portrait of King Charles since his coronation was unveiled at Buckingham Palace, but its unconventional - and very red - approach was not universally well-received.  

Reactions online ranged from "ghoulish" to "kind of like a massacre".  

The artist, Jonathon Yeo, said he was inspired by the vibrant red tunic of the Welsh guards, while the monarch butterfly painted beside him - said to be Charles' idea - was meant to symbolise his "transformation".  

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