The Kensington Palace social media accounts posted this new portrait of the Princess of Wales for her 43rd birthday today. We didn’t get a new birthday portrait last year, correct? Let me check… no, we didn’t. She gave us a whole photoshoot with costume changes when she turned 40 (in 2022), but I honestly wasn’t expecting a new portrait today, for this birthday. Prince William issued a personal statement alongside the photo, writing: “To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.” That doesn’t sound like William’s “voice” to me, but whatever. It is what it is.
So, let’s analyze the photo. It doesn’t look like a hacked-together frankenphoto like last year’s scandalous Mother’s Day portrait. It does look edited, but I’m open to the possibility that it’s just the way Kate is standing, with her hips sort of jutting out. It’s thrown off the perspective. Her hands are halfway in her jean pockets, so that you can see that she’s wearing her sapphire engagement ring. She didn’t wear Big Blue to several public appearances last year, so it feels notable. And then there are her clothing choices. The Telegraph’s style people had some thoughts:
This morning the Prince of Wales marked his wife’s 43rd birthday by sharing a new portrait of her on social media. With her hands in her pockets and looking away from the camera, the picture shows Kate looking relaxed and happy in faded dark jeans, a white blouse with pleated bib detail, black tuxedo jacket and checked scarf, with only her sapphire engagement ring to accessorise the look.
The styling is particularly chic, with her sleeves rolled up and top button undone, with the scarf just resting on top, giving it a lived-in look. Naturally, Kate’s trademark long, bouncy blowdry is also present, with minimal make-up too, showing she is a woman unafraid of facing her age.
The look recalls the styling of Kate’s 2016 British Vogue cover, in which she wore a similar shirt with a brown suede jacket and hat. It is very much in keeping with her laid-back approach to dressing when she is “off-duty”, favouring jeans, sweaters and outerwear to dresses or heels, and being a keen champion of the high street, including brands such as Boden, Hobbs and Reiss.
The photograph was taken by Matt Porteous, a favourite of the family who has taken countless images of the Princess and her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis over the years. A wildlife and ocean photographer by trade, his background clearly suggests that this is less about royal portraiture, and more about positioning Kate as a relaxed, outdoorsy woman. That said, the image, which is striking in black and white, does recall other famous royal portraiture, most notably Mario Testino’s iconic images of the late Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s.
The comparison to Mario Testino’s incredible work is hilarious. Testino is a deeply flawed, problematic man, but as a photographer, he created some of the most iconic images of Princess Diana. Diana’s sons loved Testino’s photos so much, I believe both brothers still keep some of those Testino portraits featured prominently in their homes. As for Kate’s fashion choices… I agree that she’s going for the more outdoorsy, middle-class vibe that she had in her (kind of terrible) British Vogue editorial all of those years ago. What’s odd about that is Matt Porteous obviously photographed her in some kind of studio. With denim and a scarf, surely the photoshoot should have been outside? She did two notable outdoor “shoots” last year – the photo released just before Trooping the Colour (which was also bizarrely edited) and the “cancer-free” commercial which was widely criticized. Anyway, the choices being made are fascinating.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Matt Porteous for Kensington Palace and KP.
