Kate Middleton Has an Unexpected Sex and the City Connection in Her New Portrait
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Kate Middleton and Prince William are starring in their first official joint portrait, and Kate takes a style cue from none other than Carrie Bradshaw for the occasion.
On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stopped by the University of Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum to see the painted artwork as it was unveiled to the public for the first time. Commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, the portrait of the couple was painted by award-winning British portrait artist Jamie Coreth.
"It has been the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture," Coreth said. "I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified."
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Jamie Coreth + Fine Art Commissions Kate Middleton and Prince William
While Prince William looks dapper in a classic suit and blue tie, Kate looks elegant in a green ensemble paired with carefully selected accessories.
For her footwear, Kate sports Manolo Blahnik's Hangisi Green Satin 105 Pumps — the same pair of shoes that Sarah Jessica Parker's character wore in Sex and the City for her wedding to Mr. Big. However, Carrie Bradshaw opted for the heels, which feature a square crystal buckle adorning the pointy toe, in a different color as her "something blue" for the big walk down the aisle.
Courtesy of New Line Cinema Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and The City
Kate's emerald dress is a recycled piece from her closet, which she previously wore during a visit to Dublin in March 2020 with Prince William. The shimmering outfit is by The Vampire's Wife, a brand that's also a favorite of Princess Beatrice's.
Beatrice wore a similar piece when she attended the wedding of her close friend, singer Ellie Goulding, in August 2019 — down to the same color and some ruffled detail!
Karwai Tang/WireImage; ANL/Shutterstock Kate Middleton; Princess Beatrice
More recently, Kate chose another piece by The Vampire's Wife during the couple's Caribbean tour this past March. During a special party at the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech in Belize, the royal dazzled in a bright fuchsia gown with whimsical ruffle sleeves.
She completed her look with O'nitaa gold statement earrings and an embroidered clutch.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton and Prince William in Belize
Kate also wears sentimental accessories in the painting. For her earrings, the Duchess of Cambridge wears pearl and diamond earrings that previously belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Given to Diana as a wedding present from Collingwood jewelers, the gorgeous pieces are now part of Kate's collection.
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Kate, 40, also wore another piece from Princess Diana's jewelry collection: her three-strand pearl bracelet, which Diana famously wore with her "Elvis" outfit.
Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images; Tim Graham/Getty Images
The portrait also marked the first time that Kate has publicly worn the Duchess of Cambridge brooch, which shares a name with her title. (Prince William and Kate received the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from Queen Elizabeth on their wedding day in April 2011.)
The brooch features a large pearl surrounded by a cluster of diamonds. There is also a detachable diamond and pearl pendant suspended from the main piece.
According to The Court Jeweller, the piece was likely made by Garrard at some point in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was named for Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the wife of Prince Adolphus, who wore the piece in a portrait commissioned by her niece Queen Victoria in 1877. Princess Augusta would be Prince William's great-great-great-great grandmother!
AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth in her official 50th birthday portrait
The brooch then belonged to Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, and Queen Mary.
Queen Elizabeth inherited the stunning piece from her grandmother in 1953 and has worn it on a number of occasions over the decades, including for her official 50th birthday portraits.
The monarch also wore the brooch at the funeral of Lord Mountbatten in 1979, at the opening of the Thames Flood Barrier in 1984 and during the Golden Jubilee tour of Australia in 2002.
