Kate Middleton and Prince William’s first joint portrait includes a very special detail that many people might’ve missed.
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first joint official portrait has now gone on display in Cambridgeshire and was viewed by the couple.
- Kate Middleton was painted wearing a very meaningful brooch that highlights her current role and has a sweet history behind it.
- This royal news comes as Kate Middleton showed off her football talents in high heels during her latest royal visit.
As senior members of The Firm and the future King and Queen Consort, Prince William and Duchess Kate might be regularly photographed, but they've only just featured in a painting together. The first joint portrait of the couple has now gone on display at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum. Commissioned last year by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund as a gift to the people of the county, the wonderful portrait is the work of award-winning artist Jamie Coreth.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge viewed it for the first time during a day of engagements in Cambridgeshire on June 23rd and appeared delighted with the final result. Painted standing together and looking serenely into the distance, William wears a smart suit and blue tie whilst Kate appears in a stunning emerald green dress from The Vampire’s Wife.
And eagle-eyed fans might have also spotted a very significant brooch worn by Kate...
This magnificent piece is focused around a central pearl surrounded by diamonds, with a smaller pearl hanging at the bottom as a pendant detail. The Queen has worn it on several occasions over the years, including for her 50th birthday photographs. However, it’s not just the connection to Her Majesty which makes this choice of brooch for Kate Middleton and Prince William’s first joint portrait so meaningful.
The brooch has a long history and is known as the Duchess of Cambridge’s pearl pendant brooch or sometimes simply as the Duchess of Cambridge’s brooch or the Cambridge pearl pendant brooch. The brooch got its name from both the beautiful design and the original owner - another Duchess of Cambridge!
The brooch is said to have been created by London-based jeweller Garrard. The fabulous piece was made to honor Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, who married Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace in 1818.
Princess Augusta was an aunt of Queen Victoria and according to The Independent, was painted wearing the Duchess of Cambridge pearl pendant brooch in a portrait commissioned by her niece. It’s understood to have been passed down to her daughter Princess Mary Adelaide, who passed it to her daughter Queen Mary, who then passed it to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth.
Now all these decades later the choice to feature the brooch in the newly unveiled painting highlights Kate's important role as Duchess of Cambridge and makes this first joint portrait with William all the more memorable with its historic links.
Meanwhile, as reported by the BBC, artist Jamie wanted to create a wonderful sense of their public life as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as well as of them as people. He reportedly hoped to make them appear "both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified" in the final work.
"As it is the first portrait to depict them together, and specifically during their time as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I wanted the image to evoke a feeling of balance between their public and private lives,” he declared.
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