Over the last several years, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, have become very controversial figures. After the release of Harry's book which some experts say could pose a security threat, there were a lot of consequences. Easily one of the biggest consequences of that book has been an increased focus on Harry and Prince William's complicated relationship.
Long before Harry and William's relationship became tabloid fodder, the perception of their relationship was much more positive. However, some people have come to believe that the brothers may have had more of a frosty relationship back then based on an anecdote about Harry possibly mocking William's hair loss.
What Happened To Nicky Philipps' Painting Of Prince Harry And Prince William?
Ever since the British Royal Family rose to power, there have been loads of people who've been fascinated by them. Over the last few decades, that fascination has mostly taken the form of people gossiping about the romances and feuds involving the Royals.
Throughout the '80s and '90s, the media couldn't get enough of covering what was going on in the much-talked-about Royal love triangle. As a result, if insiders said anything about Princess Diana or the people then known as Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the media would report that news breathlessly.
Over the last few years, the same thing has been going on with a new generation of members of the British Royal Family. These days, the media is fascinated by any news that involves Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince Harry, or Meghan Markle.
As a result of that current fascination, a painting somehow made international news in 2023. The reason for that is some people believed that a painting of Prince William and Prince Harry had been removed.
Since there is a wide perception that Prince Harry and Prince William are on the outs, any news tidbits related to that likely will inspire many headlines. In 2023, there was a perfect example of that.
When someone discovered that a painting of Prince William and Prince Harry no longer hangs in the United Kingdom's National Portrait Gallery, that became news. Before too long, the story became even bigger when some people dragged Kate Middleton into the drama.
Since Princess Kate is the Royal Patron of the United Kingdom's National Portrait Gallery, fingers started pointing at her as the reason the painting was removed.
After reports that the painting had been taken down and the conjecture that Kate Middleton could be involved, rumors were running rampant. As a result, the National Portrait Gallery actually released a statement about the supposedly missing painting.
According to that statement, all the drama about the Prince Harry and Prince William painting was much ado about nothing. There wasn't really anything dramatic going on and none of the Royals interfered to have the painting removed.
“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."
The Statement continued, “This portrait by Nicky Philipps was included in a touring exhibition — Tudors to Windsors — which traveled between 2018 and 2021. The portrait was last displayed at the gallery between March and August 2018.”
On top of explaining that the painting hadn't hung in the National Portrait Gallery for years, the statement made one other thing clear. In case anyone wanted to claim that Kate Middleton played any role in where the painting is at time in the future, the statement revealed that won't be the case.
“Decisions relating to the portraits on display at the National Portrait Gallery are made by the gallery’s curatorial team."
Did Prince Harry Mock Prince William's Hair Loss?
After the United Kingdom's National Portrait Gallery released their statement about where the Prince William and Prince Harry painting was, that should have been the end of it. However, it turns out that the drama around the painting would have another chapter.
As the artist who was responsible for creating the painting of Prince William and Prince Harry, Nicky Phillips was asked by The Times about the scandal. Right from the start, Phillips expressed that she was perfectly fine with the fact that the National Portrait Gallery wasn't exhibiting the painting.
“It’s the Portrait Gallery’s picture, they can do what they want with it.” Phillips then went on to talk about the pride that she takes in being the artist behind the famous painting. “I’m very proud of the picture, so I’d love it to be out there, but it’s been on a world tour and it’s had a lot of time in the sun. So it is what it is."
From there, Phillips began to weigh in on the scandal and rumors that revolved around her painting at that time. Suffice it to say, Phillips made it very clear that in all the Royal drama of the last several years, she sides with the backers of Prince William.
"I have no idea what the reason is, but one can surmise. And on that basis, I sympathize entirely with the Prince of Wales. I think washing dirty laundry in public is not great. So, if that has anything to do with it, I’m very sympathetic. And honestly, I don’t mind. They’ve got so many pictures, why not let someone else have a go?”
Phillips also went on to say that on top of supporting Prince William, she has also been "very upset" for Kate Middleton too.
After The Times interviewed Phillips about her painting, they published their article about the scandal. The article revealed how Prince Harry reportedly reacted to Phillips' painting when he first saw it. The article also revealed what Phillips thinks about the criticism that William has too much hair in her painting.
"When the princes saw the completed double portrait of them, Harry said that William had too much hair and that his own hair was too red. Philipps says that William’s hair loss appeared to have sped up in the year or more that passed between the sittings and the unveiling. 'So annoying because people say: ‘She’s flattered him.’ ' ”
Based on that quote, it certainly is possible to conclude that Harry was mocking William's hair loss, and he was being mean. In reality, however, that quote can also be read in very different ways. Perhaps Harry was only trying to say how he thought the public would react to the painting. Failing that, Harry could have been mocking William's hair loss but in the playful way siblings and friends often joke about each other.
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