The King has unveiled a striking portrait of himself marking the first completed painting since The Coronation.
Charles declared himself delighted to be a “chrysalis” as he marvelled at the “metamorphosis” from prince to monarch shown in the painting which features an endangered Monarch butterfly at his shoulder. The painting, by leading contemporary artist Jonathan Yeo, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company two years hence.
The King sat for the painter four times, for around an hour on each occasion, with Yeo also working from drawings and photography in between. By the time it was finally finished at the end of last year, Charles was king.
The official unveiling took place today in The Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, with the King being unexpectedly joined by the Queen, her daughter, Laura Lopes and her husband, Harry, both of whom work in art. It was flanked by equally towering, and more traditional paintings, of King George V and Queen Mary on the walls.
As Charles pulled the giant red bow holding up a black covering, he laughed and said: “Christ!”, but quickly qualified with “I wondered what the frame was going to be like. “It is remarkable, actually, how it has turned out.”
The sovereign had seen the painting when it was two thirds finished, according to the artist. Mr Yeo said: “Someone asked if I get nervous about unveilings and the answer is not normally but then the subject doesn’t normally become King half way through the process.
“It’s a joy and honour to be here. I want to thank…above all the subject for trusting me with it and giving me so much of his time. People often say 'is there a secret to doing a good portrait?’ and…that’s having an interesting subject to start with.”
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Explaining his vision - and the butterfly - he said: “I won’t bang on about the picture except to explain two artistic pieces of licence. One is the colour, obviously, which was inspired by the colour of the bright red tunic of the Welsh Guards.
“And that got me thinking it would be lovely to take the colour and spray it around the picture. The uniform and the medals are great references to historic royal portraits of the past but it felt like this one should have a bit more dynamic and contemporary feel, and hopefully it does that.
“Hopefully at the same time it allows the focus to be on the face and the eyes, which feel like a very informal part of it. The other thing is the butterfly. I would love to take full credit for that but it was actually the subject’s idea.”
After Charles jokingly questioned whether it indeed was, Mr Yeo said the King had agreed how it would be a great addition to have”a narrative element” which would tie in with his passion for nature and the environment. The portrait will go on public display for a month at the Philip Mould Gallery in London, from May 16 until June 14 and entry is free. The artwork is expected to be displayed at Drapers’ Hall from the end of August.