Stunning Royal portraits of Kate Middleton released for her 40th birthday

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her 40th birthday on the 9th of January

The Duchess of Cambridge took to Twitter yesterday to send thanks to her many well-wishers on her 40th birthday.

While Kate Middleton is one of the most recognizable faces in the United Kingdom, a milestone birthday such as this offers the chance to reflect on her role in the Royal Family.

The Duchess of Cambridge entered public life as a shy recent graduate but has transitioned into a confident and hard-working member of the Royal Family.

To mark the occasion, the Duchess of Cambridge released 3 portrait photos.

The images were taken at Kew Gardens back in November and will form part of a project from the National Portrait Gallery where the duchess is patron. They will go on display in three locations that she has chosen, including Berkshire, where she spent the majority of her childhood, St Andrews, where she went to university and began her relationship with her husband, and Anglesey, where the couple lived together just before and in the early part of their marriage.

The photos will be housed in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

Delighted to share a new portrait of The Duchess ahead of her 40th birthday tomorrow.

This is one of three new portraits which will enter the permanent collection of the @NPGLondon, of which The Duchess is Patron.

📸 Paolo Roversi pic.twitter.com/55Z5qBMLaP

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 8, 2022

The photos were taken by Pablo Roversi.

These new portraits which have been released to mark the 40th will be shown in the community in three meaningful places: Berkshire, St Andrews, and Anglesey, as part of the @NPGLondon nationwide ‘Coming Home’ exhibition, ahead of the Gallery reopening in 2023.

📸 Paolo Roversi pic.twitter.com/l0sEerPfhH

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2022

The Duchess of Cambridge made sure to thank her fans for the thousands of birthday wishes she received.

Thank you for all of your very kind birthday wishes, and to Paolo and the National Portrait Gallery for these three special portraits. C
 
📸 Paolo Roversi pic.twitter.com/FDMn5raCnr

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2022

Kate's 40's will bring several more changes to the life of the Duchess as her public work will continue to grow and evolve.