Cultural depictions of Catherine, Princess of Wales

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been depicted in various forms of popular culture, including wax figures, portraiture, and screen portrayals.

Portraiture

In January 2013, a formal portrait of Catherine by Paul Emsley was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery, London.[1] The portrait received mostly negative reviews; Michael Glover of The Independent called it "catastrophic" while Waldemar Januszczak of The Sunday Times described it as "disappointing".[2][3]

A portrait of Catherine alongside Prince William, painted by Jamie Coreth, was unveiled in June 2022 at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.[4] The portrait received mixed reviews: The Independent's Jessie Thompson praised its "cheeky" sense of humour while The Daily Telegraph's Alastair Sooke found it "too safe" and "a little weird" in execution but noted it offered "a flash of their private selves".[5]

Wax figures

In April 2012, wax figures of William and Catherine were unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London to mark their first wedding anniversary.[6] A new figure of Catherine was launched in May 2025 alongside those of William, King Charles III, and Queen Camilla.[7]

Film and television

Catherine has been portrayed in a range of dramatizations, documentaries, and satirical programmes. The 2011 American television film William & Kate: The Movie, released by Lifetime ahead of her wedding, starred Camilla Luddington as Catherine. It was widely panned by critics; Stephen Bates of The Guardian described it as "toe-curlingly … ghastly".[8] That same year, Hallmark Channel produced William & Catherine: A Royal Romance, in which Alice St. Clair portrayed Catherine; People later included her performance in a retrospective of notable screen depictions.[9]

In the United Kingdom, Catherine has been the subject of documentaries such as ITV's When Kate Met William: A Tale of Two Lives (2011), which chronicled her relationship with Prince William through archive footage and interviews.[10] She appears as a character in the Netflix drama The Crown, where Meg Bellamy portrayed her in the sixth series, depicting her early courtship with William.[11]

Catherine has also been parodied in satirical television. In the British puppet satire Newzoids (2015–2016), she appeared alongside Prince William and Prince George, with a sketch portraying them awaiting the birth of her second child.[12] The 2021 animated series The Prince, created by Gary Janetti, featured her as a supporting character voiced by Lucy Punch. The series drew criticism for its portrayal of royal family members.[13][14] Channel 4's soap-opera spoof The Windsors (2016–2020) also featured a fictionalised version of Catherine; The Guardian's Alexi Duggins called it a "right royal send-up".[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jones, Bryony (11 January 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge's first official portrait unveiled". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  2. ^ Glover, Michael (11 January 2013). "Michael Glover: Paul Emsley's Duchess of Cambridge portrait is catastrophic". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Kate portrait: First painting gets mixed reviews". BBC News. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  4. ^ "First joint portrait of UK's Prince William and wife Kate released". Reuters. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  5. ^ Clark, Meredith (25 June 2022). "Prince William and Kate Middleton's portrait bashed by critics: 'Looks like a wax figure from Madame Tussaud's". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  6. ^ Rayner, Gordon (4 April 2012). "Duke and Duchess of Cambridge immortalised in wax at Madame Tussauds". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  7. ^ Montgomery, Samuel (21 May 2025). "Prince and Princess of Wales return to Madame Tussauds London". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  8. ^ Bates, Stephen (14 April 2011). "William and Kate: The Movie – so bad it'll probably be a smash". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  9. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (14 December 2023). "Actresses who have played Kate Middleton". People. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  10. ^ Anthony, Andrew (26 April 2011). "TV review: The Secret Millionaire; The Prison Restaurant; and When Kate Met William". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  11. ^ Cooney, Christy (3 September 2022). "Former head girl to make TV debut as Kate Middleton in The Crown". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  12. ^ Kimble, Lindsay (30 April 2015). "See Will and Kate puppets spoof the royal birth – with help from a puppet Queen!". People. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  13. ^ "HBO to launch animated parody series about royals starring Orlando Bloom". The New Zealand Herald. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  14. ^ Hassan, Jennifer (30 July 2021). "HBO Max series 'The Prince' sparks backlash over portrayal of George, the Queen, royal family". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  15. ^ Duggins, Alexi (6 May 2016). "The Windsors: behind the scenes of a right royal send-up". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
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