Portrait of William & Harry Unveiled

Today at London’s National Portrait Gallery, a historic portrait of royal brothers Princes William and Harry was unveiled. Done by Nicky Philipps, the 54in by 58in oil painting depicts the two in military uniform, having a conversation before a supposed big event.

Prince William is shown wearing a blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, while Prince Harry is depicted wearing his Golden Jubilee medal for serving in Afghanistan.

The brothers sat for Miss Philipps several times in her studio before she went to Clarence House to fill in the backround.

While many are impressed with how the painting turned out, not all are thrilled.

According to the Daily Mail, David Lee, editor of the satirical art magazine Jackdaw, said: “I think it’s pretty awful. It’s terribly amateurish and looks like something from a provincial photographer’s studio. I think our Royal Family are being done a huge disservice. It is intolerable that they are being made to sit for such amateurs. In days gone by they would have been painted by the likes of Holbein and Velasquez. Nowadays we have Nicky Philipps. I beg your pardon, but who?”

Luckily, London Evening Standard critic Ben Luke disagreed, saying the portrait “captured the princes’ affection for each other and managed to marry the tradition that comes with being a member of the Royal Family with being modern young men.”

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Portraits, Prince Harry of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge.