First official portrait of King Charles III: who painted it, colors meaning and value
King Charles III got his first look at a larger-than-life portrait of himself on Tuesday painted by one of Britain’s most recognized portrait artists.
The striking official portrait of King Charles III was unveiled on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace. Begun over a year before he became the British monarch, the artist, Jonathan Yeo, enveloped his subject in vivid red to “break with the past” he says and make the painting “distinctive.” Yet at the same time his aim was to make something personal.
The dimensions of the portrait are larger-than-life, measuring roughly eight and half by six and half feet. The size allowed for Yeo “to communicate the subject’s deep humanity” as His Majesty gazes gently down at the viewer. Brought to all the more prominence by the blending of the colors of the Welsh Guards uniform he is wearing blending in with the background.
First official portrait of King Charles III: who painted it, colors meaning and value
Yeo is one of Britain’s most recognized portrait artists who has captured numerous luminaries on canvas. He is a wholly self-taught painter who gained prominence by the time he was thirty after several major commissions, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Now 53, he suffered a near-fatal heart attack last year. The New York Times reports that he attributed it to lingering effects of the cancer he suffered in his early 20s.
The painting was first commissioned in 2020 by the Drapers’ Company, a trade association for wool merchants established over 600 years ago. The now philanthropic fellowship wanted celebrate Charles’ 50 years as a member. The artist captured the king on canvas over the course of four sittings between June 2021 and November 2023.
Yeo’s portrait of King Charles III kept with some of the traditional royal portraiture features, depicting the monarch in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975, and his hands resting atop a sword.
However, he departed covering the background in similar vibrant red hues as the uniform drawing the focus to His Majesty’s face. Additionally, Yeo included a butterfly in the portrait floating above his right shoulder.
In a statement he explained what he was trying to express with his portrait. “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. I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face.”
“In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of Royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century Monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity. I’m unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King.”