LONDON — King 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.
The larger-than-life painting by artist Jonathan Yeo captures the king with his hands clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a butterfly flitting above his right shoulder. Charles got his first look at the canvas Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.
Yeo began the portrait more than a year before Charles became king, with a sitting at the then-Prince of Wales’ Highgrove estate in June 2021. The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House, one of the king’s residences in London.
“When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed,’’ Yeo said.
The first official painted portrait of King Charles III since his coronation has been unveiled at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/XLBMg1WxgE
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) May 15, 2024
The portrait, which is approximately 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet, will be on display at the Philip Mould Gallery in London from May 16 to June 14. From the end of August, it will be displayed at Drapers’ Hall across town.
The portrait was commissioned to celebrate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, which was set up more than 600 years ago as a trade association for wool merchants.
Philanthropy came to be part of their mission and the company is now a grant-giving body.
How has the public reacted to King Charles III’s new official portrait?
King Charles’ new portrait has proven to be controversial in that it has received mixed reactions from the public. Some have commended artist Yeo for breaking with tradition and being “evocative,” and others have labelled the dominant red hue painting as “nightmarish.”
Read some of the reactions to King Charles’ portrait, here:
I appreciate the attempt at something unconventional, but this new King Charles portrait looks like the poster for a truly nightmarish horror movie. https://t.co/BwjojTlZjk
— Kristen Meinzer (@kristenmeinzer) May 14, 2024
I really like the portrait of King Charles by Jonathan Yeo – the go-to artist for slightly edgy but convincingly recognisable contemporary portraits; before photography, to have a great painter capture your real appearance you accepted the revelation of your flaws and your… pic.twitter.com/uvKRfb0646
— Richard Morris (@ahistoryinart) May 14, 2024
Cards on the table, I know very little about art. But having seen this new Jonathan Yeo portrait of King Charles in the flesh – and there is so much more depth and complexity to it in person – I like it. I wonder what King George V and Queen Mary would have made of it though? pic.twitter.com/SzwcwqIDb1
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) May 15, 2024
i think what makes the King Charles portrait so excellent is that it is a) an objectively good piece of art and b) simultaneously extremely memeable
— madeline odent (@oldenoughtosay) May 14, 2024