Following refurbishment, the National Portrait Gallery in London is set to welcome visitors later this month. However, a 2010 portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry, created by Nicky Phillipps, will be absent from the exhibition, fueling speculation that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, may have influenced its removal amidst the well-documented discord between the royal brothers.
The Phillipps painting, produced during a time of camaraderie between the princes, presents them in an informal posture, donned in formal attire. As the gallery resumes operation post a hefty 2020 refurbishment, the conspicuous absence of this portrait has led to conjecture that Middleton, leveraging her influential position as a royal patron, was behind its omission.
British journalist Valentine Low contributed to the speculation with his column in The Times. Low, the author of "Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition, and the Power Players Behind the House of Windsor," posited that the painting could serve as a painful memento of the rift within the royal family, particularly for Middleton.
Nevertheless, the National Portrait Gallery has responded to such rumors, clarifying that the princes' portrait has not been exhibited since August 2018. As with other pieces in the gallery, the portrait undergoes routine cycles of display and storage. With over 250,000 portraits within its collection, the gallery can only present a fraction within its premises.
A gallery spokesperson, in a statement to Artnet News, added that the portrait was included in a touring exhibition, "Tudors to Windsors," which took place from 2018 to 2021. Post-renovation, the gallery plans to use the expanded space to present a wider range of contemporary works, especially those that represent or are created by artists from minority backgrounds.
Phillipps fondly recollects her experience of painting the royal brothers, remarking on their then-close relationship. Unfortunately, those times are a far cry from the current strained relations between the princes. The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, admitted in a promotional interview for his memoir "Spare" earlier this year that he and Prince William were no longer communicating.
The strained relationship is attributed to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from their royal roles in 2020 and their subsequent candid interviews about their former royal lives, perceived by many as assaults on the monarchy.
The public last witnessed the brothers interact briefly during a walkabout outside Windsor Castle following Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022. Despite Prince Harry returning to the UK for King Charles III's coronation ceremony this May, there's uncertainty about any private interactions with his brother or father. Meanwhile, in his memoir, Prince Harry claims the media's depiction of their closeness was exaggerated.
