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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sami Quadri

Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday portraits to go on public display for first time

Glamorous portraits of the Duchess of Cambridge taken to mark her 40th birthday are to go on public display in places close to her heart.

The shots, by fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, will feature in four venues linked to Kate’s childhood and her relationship with Prince William from next Tuesday.

They include the Middletons‘ family church in Pangbourne, Berks, and St Andrews University where the couple met.

One of Paolo Roversi’s birthday portraits of Kate (Paolo Roversi/Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/PA) (Paolo Roversi)

Her photographs are part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Coming Home project where pictures of famous people are loaned to places closely linked to them.

The locations were selected in consultation with Kate who is said to have a special affinity with each one.

One will also be displayed at the Oriel Mon Museum on the island of Anglesey where they lived as newlyweds.

A black and white profile shot of the duchess will be showcased from March 22 to April 5 at St James the Less, in the Berkshire village of Pangbourne.

Her family have been parishioners at the church for several generations.

The photograph will then move to the Reading Museum, close to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where the duchess was born in 1982.

It will stay there from April 7 to June 4.

A picture of the duchess in a red Alexander McQueen dress will be on show between June 13 and September 30 at the Wardlaw Museum at the University of St Andrews.

William and Kate met each other at the university in Fife when the Duchess of Cambridge had been studying History of Art at the time.

The third photograph in the series shows the duchess in a white dress, smiling at the camera.

This portrait will be displayed at Anglesey’s Oriel Mon museum between July 16 and October 2.

Prince William and Kate lived in a house on Anglesey in north Wales prior to their wedding.

They remained there during the early years of their marriage before moving to London following the birth of Prince George in 2013.

Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery of which Kate is patron, said: “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.”

Kate celebrated her 40th birthday on January 9 this year.

The portraits can be visited free of charge.

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