The Duchess of Cambridge has been sitting for her first royal portrait.
The artist in question is Welsh born Nicky Philipps and it has been reported that the Duchess has made four secret visits to Philipps' South Kensington studio while husband Prince William is on a tour of duty in The Falklands.
The painting is said to have cost £25,000 and been paid for by the Prince of Wales. It is likely to be a birthday gift for Prince William to be presented on the occasion of his official 30th birthday in June.
Duchess of Cambridge to present William with her likeness for his 30th birthday present
A Palace spokesperson today found herself unable to comment, saying merely that any such portrait is 'an entirely private matter'.
However, earlier this year, when discussing a potential portrait, Philipps stated that she wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to paint the Duchess in a million years, continuing that 'beautiful people are always more difficult...
'With symmetrical faces, there’s nothing to hang the portrait on. It’s very unlikely that you’ll ever do them enough justice.'
The artist stressed the importance of sittings: 'the human eye has so many more resources at its disposal than the camera, being a technical object, ever will — however sophisticated. Nobody will give you everything in a very short space of time.'
She also admitted that posing for a portrait was 'an alien situation: sitting in the corner of some room and being stared at for a long time.
'It can be quite intimidating, so you need time for people to relax. Then, gradually, things come out. The more I'm given by my sitter, the better the portrait will be.'
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