A new portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been published.
The royal couple had the opportunity to see the painting of the award-winning British portraitist Jamie Coreth while it was on display to the public on Thursday at the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University.
William said, after looking at the painting, “It’s quite large.”
He told Coreth it was “amazing.”
Image: Image: Jamie Coreth / Fine Art Commissions
It is the first official joint portrait of the couple and includes the use of a hexagonal architectural motif that can be seen in the Cambridge buildings.
During their visit, William and Kate met with Coreth, supporters of the project, and Lady Sibyl Marshall, the wife of the late Sir Michael Marshall, who originally proposed the idea for the portrait.
Coreth describes himself on his website as “one of Britain’s leading portrait painters” who “focuses on the character of his stonemasons, evoking the feeling of his presence in his work”.
He said it was “the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this painting” and that he wanted the portrait to “evoke a sense of balance between his public and private life.”
“I wanted to show off His Royal Highness in a way that made them look relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified,” he said.
Members of the public will be able to see the portrait at the Fitzwilliam Museum for an initial period of three years.
Image: Image: Jamie Coreth / Fine Art Commissions.
The artwork will be on display in other community spaces and galleries in Cambridgeshire.
During the exhibition, it will be used as a means to encourage children and young people from all over the region to take an interest in art in all its forms.
The Duke and Duchess studied art history at St Andrews University, although William later moved on to geography.
He said in a Big Issue question and answer session published this week to commemorate his 40th birthday: “I studied a little bit of art history in college.
“I had to give up.
“I fell asleep at the conferences. Terrible.
“We did a lot of Renaissance, which was amazing.
“But when we got into modern art, I started to get a little sleepy.”
Image: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to see the portrait
The painting will also be donated to the National Portrait Gallery for a brief period in 2023 to mark the reopening of the gallery.
It was commissioned last year by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund from the Cambridge Community Foundation as a gift to Cambridgeshire.