A controversial painting of the Princess of Wales has caused quite a stir after appearing on the front cover of Tatler magazine.
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Hannah Uzor’s portrait of Princess Kate on the Tatler front coverCredit: PA
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Royal fans claim it looks nothing like KateCredit: PA
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The painting captured the royal at the first state banquet Of King Charles’ reignCredit: PA
Created by Hannah Uzor, the image is supposed to capture Kate’s “strength and dignity” at the King’s first state banquet held in South Africa in 2022.
It aimed to recreate an elegant vision of Kate donning a regal, caped white Jenny Packham floor-length evening dress with sparkling embellishments.
Doesn’t look like Catherine at all. If she wasn’t wearing that dress I’d have no clue as to who it’s meant to be
Royal Fan
The princess stunned with her famous tiara, the Lover’s Knot, which was previously worn by Princess Diana.
Hannah was also inspired by the composure and bravery demonstrated by the royal mum-of-three in her emotional cancer diagnosis video in March.
“A moment of dealing with something difficult, speaking from the heart, having the courage to tackle it head-on,” she explained in awe.
But, the British-Zambian artist has been slated on social media as fans asked “are you kidding me?”.
“This is just plain weird, looks nothing like her,” penned one.
“What have they done to her face,” asked another.
A third agreed: “Doesn’t look like Catherine at all. If she wasn’t wearing that dress I’d have no clue as to who it’s meant to be.”
“Are you kidding me? What is that rubbish of a painting? Hope you won’t sell any of those trash copies, you must be joking! You call that art? How the hell did you go from this [picture of Kate] to that obnoxious thing?,” scorned someone else.
Others slated the artwork and believed it looked “like it was created by a child”.
While someone else suggested: “She needs to make an appointment urgently with Specsavers because who in the Princess of Wales is that?”
“It’s absolutely dreadful and should never have seen the light of day, let alone appear on the cover,” agreed another.
‘SHE WAS BORN FOR THIS’
However, controversial artist Hannah explained: “When you can’t meet the sitter in person, you have to look at everything you can find and piece together the subtle human moments revealed in different photographs: do they have a particular way of standing or holding their head or hands? Do they have a recurrent gesture?’
‘Quirky’ Kate painting
THE painting was done by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor – who took inspiration from Kate’s cancer diagnosis video message.
It captures the princess at the first state banquet of the King’s reign.
She is shown standing in a composed manner wearing a regal, caped white Jenny Packham floor-length evening dress with sparkling detail on the shoulders.
Kate also dons her famous tiara, the Lover’s Knot, which previously belonged to Princess Diana.
The royal stepped out in the ensemble to the South African state banquet at Buckingham Palace in November 2022.
Her image is set against a green-blue background which the artist said was a nod to Kate’s eye colour, being in a garden, and on water, symbolising her passion for rowing.
Asked whether the princess’s recent cancer diagnosis video gave her a new perspective, Hannah said: “Without a doubt. All my portraits are made up of layers of a personality, constructed from everything I can find about them.”
“[Kate] has really risen up to her role – she was born for this. She carries herself with such dignity, elegance and grace.
“I sense with her the joy of motherhood.”
Uzor is the third artist to receive a commission from Tatler to paint a portrait of a member of the royal family.
Sarah Knights was her predecessor, whose painting of the King appeared on the magazine’s July 2023 cover.
She followed Oluwole Omofemi, who crafted a beautiful tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on the Platinum Jubilee issue in 2022.
KING CHARLES III PORTRAIT
It comes after the latest portrait of King Charles was unveiled by the monarch himselflast week.
The artist was by Jonathan Yeo, who is known for his paintings of Paris Hilton, Cara Delevingne and Grayson Perry.
Yeo was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022.
The portrait depicts His Majesty wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975.
It was completed after four sittings with Charles, beginning when His Majesty was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House.
The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House.
Yeo also took inspirations from drawings and photography he took of the king.
Yeo said: “It was a privilege and pleasure to have been commissioned by The Drapers’ Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty The King, the first to be unveiled since his Coronation.
“When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.
“I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face.
“In this case my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of Royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century Monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity.
“I’m unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming a king.”
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Hannah Uzor said she was inspired by Kate’s emotional cancer message videoCredit: PA
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Jonathan Yeo’s portrait of King Charles
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The portrait had been commissioned in 2020Credit: PA
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The work was unveiled at Buckingham PalaceCredit: PA
