King Charles III unveils first official portrait since coronation, painted by Jonathan Yeo (WATCH)
The vast oil on canvas shows a larger-than-life King Charles in the uniform of the Welsh Guards. The vivid red work, measuring about 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in, is by Jonathan Yeo, who has also painted Tony Blair, Sir David Attenborough and Malala Yousafzai.
FollowKing Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Jonathan Yeo's larger-than-life painting depicts the monarch with his hands clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a butterfly fluttering over his right shoulder. Charles had his first sight at the artwork on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.
Yeo began working on the image more than a year before Charles became king, at a session at the then-Prince of Wales' Highgrove estate in June 2021. The final sitting was held in November 2023 at Clarence House, one of the king's London mansions.
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"When I began this undertaking, His Majesty The King remained His Royal Highness. The Prince of Wales, and like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder, this image has developed as the subject's function in our public life has changed,'' Yeo explained.
The picture, which measures around 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet, will be on show at the Philip Mould Gallery in London from May 16 to June 14. It will be on exhibit in Drapers' Hall across town beginning in late August.
The painting was commissioned to commemorate Charles' 50th anniversary as a member of the Drapers' Company, a trade association for wool merchants founded over 600 years ago. Philanthropy became a component of its purpose, and the corporation is now a grant-giving organisation.
