Having spent the previous summer in London, just about everything British catches my attention. Last week, on January 11th, Kate Middleton's official portrait was revealed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Here are my thoughts on the PR problem Mr. Paul Embry is facing. 

Paul Embry's painting of the Duchess of Cambridge has received quite a bit of attention and unfortunately the majority of it has been negative. “Lifeless. Disappointing. Ordinary. Dull. Old.” OUCH! This is arguably the most important commissioned painting of the man's career and it is being torn apart by public opinion. He is handling it quite well. If Kate and William like the painting, which they do, he should not worry about a thing. 

I will admit, I am not a huge fan of the painting which I attribute to the awkward smile. But regardless I think that it represents how the royal family is seen in the modern era. I think there has been such an outcry by the British public because the public does not quite know what it wants when it comes to the Royal family. The Royal family are less direct rulers as they are national celebrities. Royal portraits of the British monarchy date back to the 1300's. For the next 600-700 years the monarchy has been the ruling power in Britain. Royal subjects were given an idealized appearance and were shown with identifiable royal artifacts such as a crown or scepter. Well, today that is different. The Royal family is more of a celebrity family. They are the real life symbolic representation of Britain. So the critics of Mr. Embry's painting should look at it that way. Do you want Kate to be a Royal or a celebrity. The public has been saying "celebrity" for years. Kate is a fashion icon. They follow Prince Harry around for his scandalous stories. I think that this painting represents Royalty in the modern era. 

Here is a full story:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/world-reacts-to-kate-middleton-portrait-lifeless-dull-ghastly/