Royal fans on social media have blasted a painting of the Princess of Wales, which is set to feature on the cover of a magazine.
The painting, by artist Hannah Uzor, is due to be the cover of Tatler’s July edition – a British magazine focusing on fashion, lifestyle, and coverage of British high society.
The painting, based on photographs rather than an in-person sitting, has drawn negative reviews from several social media users.
“Doesn’t look like Catherine at all. If she wasn’t wearing that dress, I’d have no clue as to who it’s meant to be,” one user on X said.
Another described it as being “dreadful”, saying it looked like a “bad” secondary school art exam project.
“Having seen the origin photo, this is barely a passing resemblance,” another said.
Alastair Sooke, chief art critic at The Telegraph, called it “jaw-hits-the-floor bad”.
There were some supporters, however.
“Painting in whatever medium you chose isn’t meant to be a photo. It’s an interpretation. She has captured the princess’s expression really well,” one user said.
“I don’t mind it because I don’t think the painting was meant to look like the Princess of Wales in a realistic way, but more like an image we recognise to be her. To me, it works,” wrote another.
The magazine described their newest cover as completing a “royal tryptic of historic magnitude”.
The cover reads: “The Princess of Wales: A portrait of strength and dignity.”
Speaking about her portrait, Uzor said: “All my portraits are made up of layers of a personality, constructed from everything I can find about them.”
It’s not the first time this month a royal portrait has divided opinion among royal watchers.
Last week, King Charles unveiled his first official portrait since his coronation.
The eye-popping painting, by artist Jonathan Yeo, depicted the King with his hands clasped at the hilt of his sword and with a butterfly above his right shoulder. He was wearing a red Welsh Guards uniform in front of a background of similar hues.
The painting drew mixed reactions online, with people either loving or hating the extensive use of red.
