After more than 10 years of marriage, it’s difficult for any couple to still be experiencing “firsts”—especially when you’re one of the most famous couples in modern history. And yet.
On Thursday, June 23, Kate Middleton and Prince William experienced a rather special first: The unveiling of their first joint portrait as a couple. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on hand to see the piece in Cambridgeshire—yep, their namesake region—which was painted by renowned English portrait artist Jamie Coreth.
Per People, the piece was commissioned by in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund as a gift to Cambridgeshire. Coreth remarked that it was “the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture.”
“I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified,” he said.
In the portrait, Kate wears a shimmering green dress by The Vampire’s Wife, which she wore during a visit to Dublin in 2020, matching green satin Manolo Blahnik stilettos, and pearl jewelry. Her hair is down in her signature soft waves, and she wears a subtle rosy lip. William stands at her side in a dark suit and turquoise tie.
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“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,” Coreth said, per People.
I know what you’re thinking—“the artist depicted Kate wearing a dress by The Vampire’s Wife as she stands alongside her husband, future king of England, in their first official portrait? Is that not…shady?” The meaning behind the name of the fashion brand, though, is actually kind of sweet. The Vampire’s Wife was founded by Susie Cave, wife of prolific musician Nick Cave, and named after one of Nick’s abandoned book projects. The brand is beloved in Hollywood, with famous fans including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, and Dakota Johnson.
The emerald green dress is one of two Vampire’s Wife pieces that Kate Middleton has worn for public events. She’s also been spotted in a Barbie-pink gown in a similarly shimmery material. The choice of such a modern label for such a significant portrait seems intentional, too, a foreshadowing of the 21st-century flavor the couple have brought to the centuries-old monarchy.
Maybe we’ll see a third dress at the couple’s joint 40th birthday party later this summer?
