William, Prince of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

1 portrait matching '6876'

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William, Prince of Wales; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

by Nicky Philipps
oil on canvas, 2009
54 1/8 in. x 58 1/8 in. (1374 mm x 1475 mm)
Commissioned, 2009
Primary Collection
NPG 6876

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This is the first official oil portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry. It represents a unique moment in the lives of the brothers when they were both serving officers in the Household Cavalry (the ‘Blues and Royals’). They are shown wearing regimental dress uniform and William wears the star and sash of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in Britain, founded in 1348, to which he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2008. The painting conveys what the artist describes as ‘an informal moment within a formal context’.

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  • 100 Portraits, p. 151
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  • Alison Smith, Charles III: The Making of a King, 2023, p. 105
  • Cannadine, Sir David (Introduction); Cooper, Tarnya; Stewart, Louise; MacGibbon, Rab; Cox, Paul; Peltz, Lucy; Moorhouse, Paul; Broadley, Rosie; Jascot-Gill, Sabina, Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits, 2018 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA, 7 October 2018 -3 February 2019. Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia, 16 March - 14 July 2019.), p. 222 Read entry

    Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, these portraits represent the new generation of the Windsors. Nicky Philipps painted Queen Elizabeth II's grandsons, Princes William and Harry, at a unique moment in their lives - when they served as fellow officers in the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals). They are depicted wearing the regiment's dress uniform and Prince William, later the Duke of Cambridge, wears the star and sash of the Order of Garter. Philipps was given sittings in Clarence House and in her studio, and whilst the painting sits comfortably within the tradition of historic royal portraiture, it subtly refreshes the format to convey what the artist described as an 'informal moment within a formal context'.

  • Various contributors, National Portrait Gallery: A Portrait of Britain, 2014, p. 277 Read entry

    This is the first official portrait of Prince William and Prince Harry. Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, the portrait represents a unique moment in the lives of the brothers; they were both serving officers in the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) and are depicted, mid-conversation, wearing the regiment’s dress uniform. The Duke of Cambridge wears the star and sash of the Order of the Garter, to which he was appointed by the Queen shortly before sittings for this portrait commenced in 2008.

    Whilst the painting sits comfortably within the tradition of historic royal portraiture, the artist Nicky Philipps (b.1964) subtly refreshed the format to convey what she describes as an ‘informal moment within a formal context’. The young men are shown in the library of Clarence House, the official residence of their father, the Prince of Wales, and adopt relaxed poses that emphasise their companionable relationship. After the portrait was completed, the Duke of Cambridge married Catherine Middleton and retired from the army to concentrate on royal duties. Their son, Prince George, was born in 2013. That same year Prince Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot with the Army Air Corps.

  • Williamson, David, Kings and Queens, 2010, p. 167

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