Kate Middleton’s First Official Portrait Was ‘Rotten’; Duchess Looked ‘Washed-Out’

Kate Middleton’s first official portrait as a royal sparked controversy.

Marcia Moody claimed in her 2013 book, “ Kate: A Biography,” that the Duchess of Cambridge’s first official portrait that was painted by South African-born artist Paul Emsley "divided critics." The royal family and experts apparently had different reactions to it.

“Kate called it 'amazing' and ‘brilliant’, while art critic of the Daily Mail Robin Simon wrote, ‘Thank goodness the beautiful Duchess of Cambridge does not look like this. I am sorry to say it is a rotten portrait,’” Moody wrote.

The Guardian’s art critic Charlotte Higgins also pointed out a major factor that the portrait lacks. According to her, the real-life duchess has an “infectious smile.” However, the portrait showed Middleton looking “washed-out” with “heavily-lidded, dead eyes” and “tightly pursed” lips.

Just like Middleton, her husband, Prince William, was also satisfied with the portrait. The Duke of Cambridge reportedly described it as “just beautiful.” Meanwhile, artist Richard Stone, who has painted the members of the royal family for over three decades, said that it had a “lovely informality about it.”

Moody pointed out that Middleton sat for Emsley twice. They had their first session once in Kensington Palace and another in his studio.

Emsley once shared his experience working with the future queen consort. According to the artist, Middleton wanted to be portrayed “naturally.” She wanted to be her “natural self as opposed to her official self.”

“She struck me as enormously open and generous, and a very warm person,” Emsley said about Middleton. “After initially feeling it was going to be an unsmiling portrait, I think it was the right choice in the end to have her smiling – that is really who she is.”

In related news, Prince William and Middleton are both very competitive. Sometimes, the husband and wife don’t mind competing against each other. When they were in Canada, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined a dragon boat race. Prince William won the race and hugged his wife after her defeat.

Prince William and Middleton have a good relationship and have been showing a lot of PDA recently. However, rumors recently claimed that Prince William cheated on his wife with her friend, Rose Hanbury, with whom Middleton reportedly had a “terrible” falling out.