Kate official portrait unveiled

The family of the Duchess of Cambridge went to the National Portrait Gallery in central London, to view her portrait of her by Paul Emsley.

Read More: Kate praises 'amazing' and 'brilliant' official portrait.

Award-winning artist Paul Emsley said he was "very happy" the Duchess of Cambridge liked his portrait. Speaking to reporters at the unveiling of Kate's first official portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, he said:

"I think, from what I can see this morning, she's delighted with it. I'm very happy about that."

"A person whose image is so pervasive, for an artist it is really difficult to go beyond that and find something which is original - you have to rely on your technique and your artistic instincts to do that and I hope I've succeeded."

Talking about the how he composed the painting, Emsley said:

"In discussions it became clear that what she wanted herself, and I was very happy with that, was that the portrait should convey her natural self as opposed to her official self."

"The fact she is a beautiful woman is for an artist difficult. In the end I think what I tried to do really was to convey something about her warmth and her smile."

Read More: Kate praises 'amazing' and 'brilliant' official portrait.

Art critic Waldemar Januszczak, who writes for The Sunday Times, said the Duchess of Cambridge had been "let down" by her first official portrait. He told BBC News:

The Daily Mail art critic and editor of the British Art Journal Robin Simon also expressed his disappointment.

Britain's most prolific royal portrait artist has praised the first official painting of the Duchess of Cambridge, calling it "extremely warm."

Richard Stone, who has painted most members of the Royal Family during the past three decades, said the work by Paul Emsley had captured Kate's evident approachability.

We asked our Facebook followers what they thought of the first official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge. The majority of comments were negative, here are a selection:

Artist Paul Emsley has described the thinking behind his portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge, saying he chose to paint her smiling to show her "warm" and "generous" nature.

The Duchess of Cambridge said Paul Emsley's portrait of her was "brilliant, amazing, absolutely brilliant."

Kate had two sittings for the painting, one in the artist's studio and the other at Kensington Palace.

At the unveiling she was wearing a Whistles burgundy dress and told Emsley's daughter she "had such a fun time at the studio."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have praised the first official portrait of Kate, calling it "amazing" and "beautiful".

The royal couple had a private viewing of the painting this morning before it goes on display at the National Portrait Gallery. They spent 10 minutes looking at the portrait and met artist Paul Emsley and his wife Susanne and daughter Marie.