John Cooper writing in 2009 described the portrait as "striking an informal pose within a tight geometric setting" and that it is "relatively informal and utterly devoid of royal regalia". Officials from the National Portrait Gallery hailed the painting as a "portrait of the '80s" at its unveiling. Contemporary commentary focused on the depiction of Diana in trousers, then a novelty for a female member of the British royal family. In his book Eyewitnessing: The Uses of Images as Historical Evidence, Peter Burke describes the crossing of Diana's legs as taken as 'normal' in contrast to the shocked reaction of people to Thomas Gainsborough's 1760 portrait of the musician and singer Anne Ford.
