Kate Middleton on her 40th birthday.Photo: Paolo Roversi
Kate Middleton’s birthday portraits are going on tour!
One will be shown near Bucklebury, Berkshire, where she grew up, another will be displayed at the University of St. Andrews, where she andPrince Williammet and fell in love as freshmen and one will appear in Anglesey, north Wales, where the couple lived as newlyweds.
The portraits will eventually enter the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, of which Kate is Patron. Ahead of the Portrait Gallery’s re-opening in 2023, the photographs will be part of its Coming Home project, a nationwide initiative that sees portraits of well-known individuals being sent to locations that they are closely associated with.
The black-and-white shot of the Duchess of Cambridge looking to the left will be displayed at St. James the Less in the Berkshire village of Pangbourne from March 22 until April 5. From April 7 until June 4, it will then appear at the Reading Museum, which is close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where Kate was born in 1982.
Kate Middleton on her 40th birthday.Paolo Roversi
The church “has welcomed the Middleton family as parishioners over several generations and the Reading Museum was chosen due to its proximity to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, where The Duchess was born,” the National Portrait Gallery said in a statement.
The striking image of Kate in a red Alexander McQueen gown will be displayed between June 13 and September 30 at the Wardlaw Museum at the University of St. Andrews, where she and William started dating.
The third photo of Kate in a one-shoulder white dress is headed to Anglesey’s Oriel Môn museum between July 16 and October 2. The island, in northwest Wales, is where the couple lived together in their early years of marriage while William worked as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.
Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the gallery, said in a statement, “The Duchess of Cambridge has been a very committed Patron of the National Portrait Gallery since 2012, reflecting a great interest in photography and portraiture. As one of her first and earliest patronages, we are delighted to be sharing Paolo Roversi’s wonderful portraits, taking each to a place of resonance across the United Kingdom for Her Royal Highness as part of our Coming Home project.”
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!
Kate is usually the one behind the camera, snapping photos of her andPrince William’s three children,Prince George,Princess CharlotteandPrince Louis. The royal couple recently shared anew photo of the familyon their annual Christmas card.
source: people.com
