The Duchess of Cambridge’s 40th birthday portrait has been unveiled at the village church in her hometown of Berkshire.
Kate, 40, was photographed by Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi in Kew Gardens, where three photos were released to the public.
The first to show the Duchess in profile in a breathtaking Alexander McQueen gown has been exhibited at St James the Less Church in Pangbourne, Berkshire, which has welcomed the Middleton family as parishioners for generations.
The remaining two will be exhibited at the Wardlaw Museum at the University of St. Andrews, where Kate attended university, and at the Oriel Môn Museum in Anglesey, where she and William lived during the first years of their marriage.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s 40th birthday portrait (pictured) has been unveiled at the village church in her hometown of Berkshire. Kate, 40, was photographed by Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi in Kew Gardens, where three photos were released to the public
The first portrait showing the Duchess in profile in a breathtaking Alexander McQueen gown has been shown at St James the Less Church in Pangbourne, Berkshire, which has welcomed the Middleton family as parishioners for generations
The village church (pictured) was personally chosen by Kate as the site to house one of her portraits. The portrait will then move to the Reading Museum, close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where she was born
The photographs are part of COMING HOME, a nationwide initiative that sees portraits of celebrities sent to places to which they are closely associated.
Kate has been the patron of the gallery since 2012, one of the first patronages taken after her marriage to Prince William, which recognizes her interest in photography and portraits.
The locations in which Roversi’s three portraits are displayed have been selected in consultation with the Duchess herself, who has a special affinity for each.
The photograph of the Duchess will be on display at St James the Less Church from March 22 to April 5. It will then move to the Reading Museum, which is close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where the Duchess was born.
The second portrait will be shown at the University of St. Andrews from June 13 to September 30, and the third will be shown on Anglesey’s Oriel Môn between July 16 and October 2.
This portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge in a red Alexander McQueen dress will be shown at the University of St. Andrews, where Kate and William met, from June 13 to September 30
Published to mark Kate’s 40th birthday in January, the stylish photographs mark a dramatic departure from images we are more accustomed to seeing of the Duchess in formal poses or surrounded by her family.
A Palace source said: ‘From the three photographs you can see the three aspects of Kate’s personality.
‘There’s the royal side to her – as you can see in the classic shot where she looks into the distance; there is the more informal image in the red dress as a modern woman of 40; and then there is the close-up, which gives a more intimate perspective. ‘
Two are black and white and one shows Kate in color.
In the eye-catching color image, Kate looks into the camera, her hand resting elegantly in the pocket of a one-shoulder red dress while her hair spills over her shoulder.
This third portrait of the Duchess will be on display at the Oriel Môn Museum in Anglesey, where she and William lived during the first years of their marriage.
As in all the photos, her jewelry is limited to just one pair of earrings – in this case diamonds borrowed from the Queen’s private collection – so her expression is in focus.
In the black-and-white photos, Kate wears Princess Diana’s Collingwood pearl and diamond earrings, while in the side portrait, her engagement ring, which also formerly belonged to Prince William’s deceased mother, is prominent.
The dresses are all by Alexander McQueen, the same design house who created Kate’s wedding dress in 2011.
In the black-and-white close-up, Kate looks directly into the camera, wearing an organza and tulle dress in recycled silk with lace, created from remnants of previous McQueen collections sewn together.
A palace source said Kate, who studied art history at St. Andrews University, was inspired by the work of Cecil Beaton, the esteemed photographer who captured historical images of the Queen and Princess Margaret.