Duchess of Cambridge

It's awful.

Just seen it again - definitely a deviated septum! I wouldn't be too happy about it if I were her

And her right eye (the iris) is smaller than the left - bizarre!

And the pursed lips look is so inappropriate for a pretty young woman.

The artist has said he changed the eye colour to make it fit in with the rest of the painting, but why would you want to do that?

Poor Kate. Her passport photo probably does her more justice.

Does she have a passport?

Well, she certainly would have had before she married royalty! Her old passport photograph couldn't have made her look much worse than this offering...

Awful! She looks both puffy faced and pissed!

Rolf Harris would have done a better job - I bet he would have captured youthful vivacity rather then this seriously dull effort that completely fails to capture any hint of personality - she just looks drab. A good portrait reflects the sitter's personality.

He hasn't captured her sparkle and yes the nose is wrong. poor Catherine - she must be so disappointed and not able to express it.

Depressingly pedestrian I'm afraid. It could be an entry to a paint a Royal competition on a Saturday Morning TV show. Great portrait painters make an artistic statement as well as catching a likeness and this one is barely a likeness.

Something not quite right ... has he tried for a Mona Lisa look and just got sad and old?

It looked better on the television. Perhaps it just doesn't print well.

I've only seen it on the TV JO and that was bad enough.

anno I clicked on the link to read the review and the pic of the reviewer caught my eye and the first thing I thought was "Crikey you've no room to talk". If I was her, I'd get a new photo for my byline before I commented on anyone else's reproduced appearance

It's a bit chocolate box isn't it? She looks a bit smug too.

I'm coming round to it! It probably looks better "in the flesh".

She says it is "amazing". (?!)

Yes, she's probably amazed by how awful it is!

I agree with annMarie. Very odd to change the eye colour!

AnnMaria. Soz.

I've still got it wrong!

I see what you mean, grannyknot!

When I first saw it, I thought it was a soft focus photograph, (I have the greatest admiration for portrait painters - it is the most difficult of genres) but that is not what you want when you look at a portrait. It's definitely a portrait of two halves. If you cover up the mouth, the eyes look very sad and old and flat. Broader brushwork would probably have given it a bit more character and sparkle - it lacks sparkle.

Notice on Facebook the portrait got 35,500 thumbs up and only 6,500 thumbs down.

I am guessing that the artist is not incompetent but was trying to produce something different to what you get in the usual photos of the Duchess.