Prince William and Kate Middleton are facing “bad parenting” criticism after a new glimpse of Prince George’s artistic talents sparked online fury.
Several eagle-eyed netizens soon noticed that the 13-year-old’s detailed artwork looked remarkably similar to an existing online drawing tutorial by another artist.
Amid the heated controversy, the artist behind the original tutorial has also shared his thoughts on the striking resemblance.
One netizen fumed, “Terrible for the Wales’ to use their child like this. This ends up harming the child!”
Prince William proudly shared his 13-year-old son Prince George’s kingfisher drawing in a special edition of Country Life
Adrian Dennis – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince George’s colorful illustration was recently featured in a special 300-page edition of Country Life magazine, guest-edited by his father, Prince William, and released on Wednesday, November 11.
The detailed colored-pencil drawing shows a kingfisher perched on a branch, with vibrant blue, dark green, and yellow-orange shades bringing its feathers to life.
According to a Kensington Palace spokesperson, George created the artwork at home at Forest Lodge in Windsor during the spring, when he was 12.
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The spokesperson also confirmed that the young royal gave his father permission to include it in the magazine.
The special edition celebrates British wildlife, the countryside, and conservation, making George’s bird illustration a fitting addition.
It also features a rare interview with Kate Middleton, who discussed her recovery and the healing power of nature.
But social media users soon began pointing out similarities between George’s kingfisher and a lesson published by The Virtual Instructor, an online art education platform founded by artist Matt Fussell.
The tutorial, titled 3 Little Birds with Colored Pencils: Kingfisher with Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, teaches students how to recreate a realistic kingfisher using colored pencils.
Its four lessons cover sketching the bird, layering colors, adding feather details, and completing the branch.
The two drawings appear remarkably similar in their composition, the direction the bird faces, and the placement of its colored feathers.
The similarities prompted some people to criticize the Prince and Princess of Wales for presenting George’s work in a way that could suggest the entire composition was his original idea.
People noticed the striking resemblance between George’s drawing and a highly popular 2019 online tutorial
One critic wrote, “They are raising that boy to be a liar as they are. It’s unfortunate because he is a child who deserves better role models.”
“It’s a shame that Willy and Kate are so desperate for headlines that they’ve been caught out yet again lying about George’s artwork,” another user added. “What a dreadful example to set for their children.”
A third commented, “Why not just say George enjoys art and has been using a really helpful online tutorial. This is one he enjoyed doing from the course. We love it, had it framed, and have it in the living room at home. They always overcook it!”
Another comment read, “Why do Kate and William embarrass the boy like that? Very irresponsible to do this to their child once again!”
Others expressed, “Seriously, why do they lie so much? What’s the point? Even if the little boy makes very basic artwork, that’s actually okay. Why lie on behalf of your own son, and make fools of the entire family? And the poor boy has no say in the matter. Shame!”
“Not surprised they’re teaching their kids that stealing other people’s artwork and passing it off as their own is perfectly fine,” one user said.
Netizens accused Prince William and Kate Middleton of “bad parenting” and “misleading the public” about their son’s artwork
Another viewer shared, “Good parents teach their children to always be honest, and say the truth. This is bad parenting.”
“They should have acknowledged The Virtual Instructors tutorial. I thought it was a copy from another drawing when I saw it, which is fine, but don’t make people think it was an original from a 13-year-old genius.”
However, some argued that using a tutorial doesn’t take away from the effort involved in creating a detailed drawing.
One supporter wrote, “I am an amateur artist. It takes skill to achieve this result. A tutorial is only a guide. It does not move your hand or magically make you hold and move the pencil differently. So yeah, it is a very good art piece, and it does showcase talent.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales
Others chimed in, “I don’t think Kate is trying to portray that the image is George’s idea, just that he drew it himself (which is true because it’s obviously not done by a professional artist).”
“If anyone knew anything about art, they would know artists learn to draw by copying, in some museums, you can still see art school students set up their easels to copy old master paintings.”
The tutorial creator, Matt Fussell, also noticed the likeness when he saw George’s artwork.
Speaking to USA TODAY, the artist said, “While I can’t say for certain whether Prince George used my lesson, the similarities are certainly exciting to see.”
A similar controversy previously erupted over the young prince’s 2022 Christmas painting, reportedly inspired by an existing artwork
Fussell said that if the future king did use his lesson, he would be “absolutely thrilled.”
The artist added, “It’s incredibly rewarding as a teacher to see someone take what they’ve learned and create something they’re proud of. And whether he followed my lesson or not, I think he’s done a wonderful job, and I hope he continues exploring his artistic abilities.”
“Seeing someone discover what they’re capable of creating is the best part of what I do. And if my lesson played even a small role in inspiring Prince George’s artwork, that would be a tremendous honor.”
Matt, however, has not claimed that George definitely used his lesson, and Kensington Palace has not yet addressed the online speculation.
The kingfisher controversy has also reminded royal watchers of a similar discussion surrounding another one of George’s paintings.
On Christmas Day in 2022, when he was nine, William and Kate shared a watercolor painting by their eldest son depicting a reindeer in the snow, with two robins perched on its antlers and back.
Many praised the festive artwork, but others noticed it looked remarkably similar to a design from British greeting card company Wrendale Designs.
The original illustration, titled Festive Friends, was created by the company’s founder and artist, Hannah Dale.
She later spoke about the resemblance, telling HELLO! that she immediately recognized her work when she saw George’s painting.
Dale praised his artistic ability, saying he “has an eye for form and color” and described it as a “privilege to inspire” a child to draw or paint.
“They’re setting the kids up for ridicule! It might be his work copying another’s. They shouldn’t be labeled original,” one netizen wrote
