Prince George Defended by Art Teacher After His Kingfisher Drawing Sparks Backlash
Prince George's kingfisher drawing has faced online scrutiny, but an art teacher believes the young royal deserves praise rather than criticism.
Prince William recently guest-edited the November 11 issue of Country Life, sharing several little-known details about his life. One of the most intriguing parts of the issue was an impressive drawing by his eldest son, Prince George. However, the artwork faced criticism from some, prompting an art teacher to come to the young royal's defense.
The issue featured a full-page pencil drawing of a kingfisher, with the caption stating that George had created the detailed artwork when he was just 12. While the drawing impressed many, it also received backlash online after people spotted its resemblance to an artwork featured in an online tutorial by The Virtual Instructor. This led to speculation that the young Prince may have followed the tutorial while working on his piece.
Matt Fussell, the artist behind the tutorial platform, weighed in on the discussion in an interview with USA Today. While he stopped short of confirming whether George had followed his tutorial, he found the resemblance between the two drawings exciting.
Now, an art teacher, Barry Whitehouse, has stepped up in support of George. In an Instagram video, he shared his assessment of the young royal's drawing and said, "This is really quite good; it does show a lot of talent." Addressing the online comments, he added, “What has surprised me is the amount of backlash that this child's artwork has seen online from adult artists.”
Whitehouse argued that having members of the Royal Family take an interest in the arts brings valuable support from "quite a top level." He pointed to King Charles as an example, noting that the monarch is a talented painter himself.
Many fans have also rallied behind George, arguing that even if he followed a step-by-step guide, completing such a detailed piece of artwork is still an impressive feat. One wrote, “In art classes, students learn by copying the masters. That is basically how we learn!”
George's interest in art had also come into the spotlight years earlier when his parents shared another one of his sketches. In December 2022, William and Kate shared a watercolor painting of a reindeer made by their eldest son, wishing everyone a happy Christmas.
