The debate around Kate Middleton's Tatler portrait: "Beautiful" or "not HRH" at all?

 Days prior, a portrait of King Charles generated a comparable amount of controversy.

Only a few days after the release of a contentious portrait of King Charles III, a new painting of the Princess of Wales is stirring up a lot of controversy.

Tatler magazine posted the cover art for their July 2024 issue on social media. Hannah Uzor, a British-Zambian artist, painted a portrait of the former Kate Middleton, describing her as a "fellow mother of three," according to the magazine.


This is the third yearly cover portrait for the publication. Previous years' artwork included images of King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II.

The painting has Kate wearing a floor-length white gown and cape with a blue sash and necklace in the foreground against a gradient blue background. With her hair pulled down low and a tiara on, her hands are folded back against each other. She seems to be dressed in the identical outfit that she donned to King Charles' inaugural state dinner.

The painting has sparked a diverse spectrum of reactions on social media, with many people claiming the portrayal is not true to the princess.


One commenter said, "What a horrible portrait for a beautiful woman."
"This is not HRH," another person wrote. The Princess of Wales. It's not HRH, but God knows who it is."

"This is not resembling her at all," said another.


Another said, "I really respect the artist, but I also don't see Catherine here."

However, several did appear to glimpse the vision.

"Love this so much," was the commenter's three-red-heart emoji response.

Another person wrote, "This is so lovely."

At the time of publication, TODAY.com has contacted Uzor and Tatler Magazine, but had not received a response.

What is meant by Kate's portrait?

According to Uzor's website, her fascination in history—particularly the ways that diasporic culture manifests itself in both private and public memory—drives her approach to art.


Her 2020 portrait series focused on African diasporan individuals who made contributions to English history.

 About Kate, the artist said to Tatler, "She has really risen up to her role." This is what she was meant to do. She exudes such beauty, elegance, and respect in her demeanor.

The image was impacted "without a doubt" by watching Kate's video in which she revealed she was receiving cancer treatment, according to Uzor.


Uzor told Tatler, "Every portrait I create is comprised of layers of a person's personality, assembled from everything I can find about them."

Kate's eye color served as inspiration for the background's "green-blue" color scheme, which was also intended to "capture the feeling of being in a garden and on water." She mentioned that one of Kate's favorite sports was rowing.

What connection does this have to the image of King Charles?

The publication occurred a few days after Charles' contentious image was first shown on May 14.

The striking portrayal of the 75-year-old king was painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, and it is the first official picture of Charles since his coronation in May 2023.

Charles is depicted in the artwork wearing the Welsh Guards' crimson uniform. He holds a sword in front of him while posing against a crimson backdrop. There floats a monarch butterfly on the king's right shoulder.

Charles would often be shown in conventional royal portraits dressed in his military uniform, as Yeo explained to the BBC.

As stated in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace on May 14, 2023, he wished to "make reference to the traditions of royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st-century monarchy."

Yeo stated on his website that the "vivid color" red was chosen to "echo the uniform’s bright red tunic, not only resonating with the royal heritage found in many historical portraits but also injecting a dynamic, contemporary jolt into the genre with its uniformly powerful hue."

Yeo told the BBC that the monarch butterfly was his method of showing how Charles' position in the royal family has changed over time.

"The butterfly represents metamorphosis and rebirth in art history," said Yeo, who was hired by The Drapers' Company to paint a picture of Charles in 2020 while he was still the Prince of Wales.

Yeo stated on his website that the butterfly is a "visual contrast to the military steeliness of the uniform and sword" in addition to representing the king's environmental interests.