The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an official visit to Cambridgeshire today, where they headed to the Fitzwilliam Museum to witness the unveiling of their first official portrait together.
Commissioned for the purpose of celebrating the county, the work was originally proposed by the late Sir Michael Marshall – who was President of Marshall of Cambridge – but was painted by award-winning British portrait artist Jamie Coreth.
It was commissioned by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, presided over by the Cambridge Community Foundation and it is being seen as a gift to the county of Cambridgeshire.
In the painting, the couple, both 40, can be seen looking off to their right, dressed smartly, with Kate Middleton wearing a green lurex Vampire’s Wife midi dress, paired with Manolo Blahnik heels, an outfit which she wore in Dublin in 2020.
The pair pose with their arms around each other, looking happy and relaxed.
The piece will hang in the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum for at least three years and will be available for public viewing.
Upon viewing the painting at its unveiling, William is reported to have initially said: ‘It’s quite big,’ followed by congratulating the artist Coreth, by saying that it was ‘amazing.’
Of creating the work, Coreth said: it was the ‘most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture.’
And that, ‘I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified.’