Artist creates 'warmer' portrait of Kate

An artist has been praised for her "warm" alternative portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge - after the official one was slammed by critics.

Norren Denzil, 47, was inspired to paint her own picture of Kate Middleton after the official portrait by Paul Emsley was branded "rotten" and "unflattering".

She spent three weeks perfecting her portrait, which shows the royal looking relaxed and smiling, and now plans to show it to the Duchess.

Ms Denzil said: "The official portrait is technically brilliant but I don't think it captures the true natural beauty and personality of the Duchess.

"She has a great deal of warmth, which is why she is so popular and I wanted to show that in a portrait of my own.

"I'm pleased with the result and I've had a lot of good feedback, saying that my picture makes her look much more human."

Ms Denzil, whose past pictures have been snapped up by the chief executive of advertising agency Saatchi, used a series of photos of Kate as inspiration for her portrait.

In the final portrait she is shown dressed in a red suit which she wore on the Royal trip to Calgary in Canada.

The artist now hopes to sell the portrait for £2,000, with the proceeds going to a charity of the Duchess's choosing.