Artist who painted quirky Kate Middleton portrait explains the process behind the work after fans slammed 'dreadful' piece that looks 'nothing like the Princess of Wales'

Hannah Uzor created the painting by looking at pictures and videos of Kate  READ MORE: Quirky portrait of Kate Middleton on Tatler's July cover is branded 'dreadful' and 'nothing like the Princess of Wales' by royal fans

The artist behind a new portrait of the Princess of Wales has explained the story of how she created the painting - after fans were left divided by the bizarre artwork.

British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor created the quirky painting for the cover of Tatler's July issue, inspired by Kate Middleton's first state banquet of the King's reign.

Kate - who has stepped back from public duties amid her cancer diagnosis -
did not sit for the artwork, and Hannah studied pictures and videos of public engagements by the mother-of-three to help get a sense of the royal's character for the painting.

In a clip shared on Tatler's Instagram page, Hannah explained the process behind the drawing and said looking at Kate's expression was 'really key' to the painting.

Tatler has unveiled a new portrait of the Princess of Wales on its latest cover (pictured)

In a clip shared on Tatler's Instagram page, Hannah explained the process behind the drawing and said looking at Kate's expression was 'really key' to the painting

The portrait is inspired by Kate attending the first state banquet of King Charles 's reign at Buckingham Palace in November 2022

She said: 'It's really important to capture the soul of the person, so I spent a lot of time looking [at Kate], looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, seeing her in diplomatic visits, seeing her when she's rowing or visiting children in a hospice.

'It's been really interesting for me to get a sense of who she is.'

The artist said she studied the photographs and videos before beginning to sketch the Princess' face, adding that looking at Kate's facial expressions was 'key'.

'Once I'm happy with the sketch and I've done a series of sketches in my sketchbook, particularly looking at her expression was really key, and so I've done several sketches trying to capture her expression.'

Once Hannah was happy with the sketch and felt it represented the Princess' face, she then moved on to choosing the ensemble for Kate.

'This particular outfit I chose was striking. It made her look very regal and very confident,' she said.

Hannah chose the outfit that Kate wore to the first state banquet of King Charles's reign at Buckingham Palace in November 2022, after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor created the quirky painting for the cover of Tatler's July issue

The Princess, 42, stole the show in a gem-embellished white dress from her favoured label Jenny Packham as she entertained the president of South Africa.

Featuring a statement cape, the dazzling gown was paired with Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara and her late mother-in-law Princess Diana's diamond and pearl drop earrings, all of which are captured in detail in Uzor's painting.

Hannah then chose a bold and vibrant sapphire blue backdrop for the painting and said she did this to match Kate's eyes.

'Colour is one of the most important things in a work of art because it can really speak to the atmosphere, and the colour I chose was something that really compliments Kate Middleton's green eyes,' she said.

'The bluey turquoisey background was predominately just to make sure that it matches her eyes because the eyes are really the window to the soul.

'So I focused a lot of time in trying to execute those eyes to match the colour palette of the background as well.'

But the painting has caused quite a stir and has been subject to much criticism from royal fans to those in the art industry.

The clip, posted on Tatler's Instagram racked up many comments, with people discussing their thoughts on it.

One wrote: 'But it doesn't look anything like HRH. She mentions how important eyes and colour are but those are the two things that she got very wrong. The Princess doesn't have hooded eyelids and her skin tone is much lighter.'

Another penned: 'This is a horrible portrait - this is not a true representation of the Princess.

'An artist should always project characteristics of the person by injecting a recognisable emotion that best represents the person's personality. This does not.'

A third said: 'Not for one second does this look like Princess Catherine at all. Disappointing.'

A fourth commented: 'The face is much rounder than Kate's, the eyes are nothing like hers. I would bet that if that painting was shown to a group of people, none of them would say Kate.'

Grove Gallery's managing director Alex Bury told MailOnline: 'Hannah Uzor’s new portrait of Kate , the Princess of Wales, graces the cover of Tatler Magazine, aiming to portray strength and dignity.

Hannah said that Kate Middleton's eyes were an important element to the painting because 'eyes are the window to the soul'

The clip of Hannah discussing the painting was posted on Tatler's Instagram racked up many comments, with people discussing their thoughts on it

'However, this depiction falls somewhat short of fully capturing these qualities. While the title suggests a portrait of strength, the artwork itself leans more towards a sense of calm and dignity.

'The light and dark blue background provides a soothing, tranquil atmosphere, a stark contrast to Jonathan Yeo’s recent portrait of King Charles III, dominated by chaotic red hues.

'This calmer backdrop suggests a different artistic direction, one that emphasises stability and serenity over overt strength.'

Alex added: 'The eyes in this portrait fail to capture the true beauty and engaging presence of the Princess of Wales. 

'This misalignment between the serene, almost passive expression in the portrait and the vibrant personality seen in her public appearances detracts from the overall impact of the piece. It lacks the femininity of power and dignity that she naturally exudes.'

The Princess of Wales at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in November 2022. She can be seen wearing Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara, as well as a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings, both of which were favourites of her late mother-in-law Diana

Artist Jonathan Yeo poses next to his painting of the King at Buckingham Palace on May 14

She follows Sarah Knights, whose portrait of King Charles III appeared on Tatler’s July 2023 cover, and Oluwole Omofemi, whose tribute to Queen Elizabeth II graced the magazine's commemorative Platinum Jubilee cover in 2022.

Both of these projects inspired rugby star Maro Itoje and his business partner Khalil Akar to create The Akoje Residency Programme in collaboration with the King’s Foundation, which provides opportunities for African, Caribbean and diasporic artists to spend time at Dumfries House in Scotland to focus on their artistic practice.

Uzor's artwork comes after the release of the first official portrait of the King, which divided opinion online thanks to its 'fiery' shading.

The painting was commissioned back in 2020 to celebrate the then-Prince of Wales's 50 years as a member of The Drapers' Company.

Renowned artist Jonathan Yeo had four sittings over several years, beginning when His Majesty was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House.

Charles was still sitting for the portrait, unveiled earlier this month at Buckingham Palace, when Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 2022 and he became monarch.

The 'fiery' painting - which is mainly red in colour - depicts His Majesty wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975.

See the full feature in the July issue of Tatler, available via digital download and on newsstands from Thursday 30 May.