Three new portraits were released to mark the Duchess of Cambridge’s 40th birthday on 9 January 2022 and now members of the public will be able to view the photos in person.
The National Portrait Gallery has announced that all three portraits of Catherine will be on display in various locations across the United Kingdom that the Duchess has personally chosen.
The photos, which were taken by photographer Paolo Roversi in Kew Gardens, are part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, where Catherine serves as patron.
The travelling portraits will be part of the gallery’s “Coming Home” initiative, allowing the public to view portraits of well-known people in places close to the subjects’ hearts.
Honouring her early years, Catherine chose St James the Less Church to display the vintage-style photograph of her gazing to the left. The photo will be displayed at the church, which the Middleton family has attended for many years, from 22 March to 5 April 2022.
Next, that snapshot will move to the Reading Museum from 7 April to 4 June 2022, which the Duchess of Cambridge chose due to it being close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where she was born.
The photo of Catherine dressed in red will be on show at a very special place indeed: the University of St Andrews’ Wardlaw Museum. Of course, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge famously met at the university while attending there in the early 2000s.
This portrait will be on display at the museum from 13 June until 30 September.
The final photo, showing a closeup of Catherine smiling at the camera, will travel to the Cambridges’ old stomping grounds of Anglesey, Wales, where they lived in the first few years of their marriage.
Visitors to the town’s Oriel Môn will be able to see the portrait between 16 July and 2 October.
Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, shared his excitement about the photos travelling around the UK this year as part of the Coming Home project.
“The Duchess of Cambridge has been a very committed Patron of the National Portrait Gallery since 2012, reflecting a great interest in photography and portraiture,” he said.
“As one of her first and earliest patronages, we are delighted to be sharing Paolo Roversi’s wonderful portraits, taking each to a place of resonance across the United Kingdom for Her Royal Highness as part of our Coming Home project.”
The portraits can be viewed free by visitors to any of the included locations; for more information, visit www.npg.org.uk/cominghome.
