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British Royals

Historic portrait of William and Kate to be shown in cathedral with link to another royal Catherine

By
2nd October 2025
The portrait of William and Kate, unveiled in the last months they were known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

An historic portrait of William and Kate that was unveiled just before the Prince became heir to the throne is getting a new home and one with important royal links.

This was the first official joint painting of the couple and was commissioned in 2021 as they marked their tenth wedding anniversary.

The Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, asked for a painting of the couple to be made as a gift to the county where their dukedom is situated.

It was unveiled in 2022, just months before William became first in line to the throne following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and the accession of his father as King Charles III.

One of the first acts of the new King Charles was to make his elder son the Prince of Wales. This is the title by which William is now known although he remains Duke of Cambridge.

The portrait, by Jamie Coreth, has been on show at the Fitzwilliam Museum but is now moving to a new home at Peterborough Cathedral in the county of Cambridgeshire.

The cathedral has historic royal links and is the final resting place of another royal Catherine. The tomb of Catherine of Aragon is at Peterborough and the cathedral hosts an annual festival in her honour. Pomegranates, her symbol, are often left at her grave.

The decision to place the portrait at Peterborough was announced by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, who said it would make it ”easily accessible for our residents and visitors in the north of the county.”

When the portrait was unveiled, it was announced that it would be on show at the Fitzwilliam for three years before beginning an ongoing tour of galleries and communityspaces in Cambridgeshire.

It’s already been loaned to the National Portrait Gallery to help mark its reopening.

The couple unveiled the portrait in June 2022 with Prince William describing it as amazing.

The dress chosen by Catherine for the painting is the bright green she wore for an official visit to Dublin.

It’s not the only new royal link for the cathedral. Later this autumn, Peterborough will host a ‘Princess Proms’ although it’s not known whether the portrait will be in place in time for that event which happens on November 1.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra.Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024.June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station.June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.