The National Portrait Gallery has removed a painting of Prince William and Prince Harry as tensions continue to grow between the once close brothers. Nicky Phillipps’ portrait of the siblings has been taken out of the royal gallery just as the Princess of Wales was heading to the 167-year-old London institution yesterday after it was closed for three years for major refurbishment works.
First unveiled back in 2010, the picture depicts the royal brothers as they look at each other, both proudly sporting their beloved military uniforms we were all once so used to seeing them in all the time. The picture was painted before issues started reportedly arising between the pair, and ahead of Prince Harry's decision to step back from his position as a working royal with wife Meghan Markle.
It's been pointed out by both Kensington Palace and by the National Portrait Gallery that the artwork was not taken down because of a request from anyone in the royal family as a National Portrait Gallery spokesperson said: “Decisions relating to the portraits on display at the National Portrait Gallery are made by the gallery’s curatorial team.
“With over 250,000 portraits in our collection, we are only able to display a small percentage within our building, however, as one of the world’s largest and most important collections of portraits, we regularly lend and tour our works, both nationally and internationally.
“This portrait by Nicky Philipps was included in a touring exhibition — Tudors to Windsors — which travelled between 2018 and 2021.
“The portrait was last displayed at the gallery between March and August 2018.”
The National Portrait Gallery reopens to the public on Thursday after closing its doors in March 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. It's undergone a huge £35 million transformation in the time it's been shut and on Tuesday its patron, the Princess of Wales, was there to open it officially.
Kate, who is known for her commitment to improving child development across the UK with her charity work, took part in a workshop with nursery pupils as she dropped by and she was even seen chatting to Sir Paul McCartney.
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in early 2008, the artwork depicts the two princes - both in their 20s at the time - in the dress uniform of the Blue and Royals cavalry regiment.
It reflected a much less tumultuous point in their brotherly relationship, with artist Ms Philipps speaking at the time of how they appeared "so sweet, so close" as they sat for the portrait at her home in South Kensington.
Sandy Nairne, the director of the gallery, said at the time: "The first portrait of the princes captures them formally dressed, but informally posed.
"It is a delightful image, which extends the tradition of royal portraiture."
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