It is a fascinating blend
of well-trodden history and social mobility.
Clustered around a
Chippendale sofa in the sunbathed Morning Room of Clarence House, this new
group photograph of the Windsor and Middleton dynasties is arguably the most
intriguing of the christening portraits released yesterday.
Despite the Queen’s presence
and the rather Victorian familial grouping, there is a decidedly relaxed air to
the picture, a portrait of a Royal Family for the modern age. Indeed, aside from the Queen, the most magisterial figure is the Duchess
of Cambridge’s younger brother James, whose beard makes him look uncannily like
his nephew’s great, great, great-grandfather, King George V, or even a younger
looking Prince Michael of Kent.
Kate’s family - her former air hostesses turned
multi-millionaire entrepreneur mother, Carole, genial father Michael, and
scene-stealing sister, Pippa - are positioned around Prince William. In contrast Kate, whose ancestors were Durham coal miners and men of the
soil, is grouped with the rest of the Royal Family - a dapper-looking Duke of
Edinburgh, belying his 92 years and recent ill-health, grandparents Prince
Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and a cheeky-looking doting uncle Prince
Harry.
Follow Me On Twitter: @effiongeton
No comments:
Post a Comment