On Tuesday, 75-year-old King Charles III unveiled a new official portrait of himself, painted by artist Jonathan Yeo. The portrait, which many royal observers quickly labeled as "disturbing," was presented in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.
In the portrait, Charles wears the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. "It was a privilege and pleasure to be commissioned by The Drapers' Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty the King, the first to be unveiled since his coronation," Yeo said in a quote shared on the official Instagram of the royal family. "When I began this project, His Majesty the King was still His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and just like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait evolved as the subject's role in our public life transformed."
Yeo added: "I do my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched on the face of any individual sitter, and I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait. Trying to capture this for His Majesty the King, who occupies such a unique role, was a tremendous professional challenge which I greatly enjoyed and am immensely grateful for."
Comments on the portrait were not kind. It features a ghostly-looking Charles against a red background. "Sorry, this is a bit scary," commented one royal observer, while another said, "I'm sorry, but his portrait looks like he's in hell."
Other royal observers noted that the painting looks "slightly disturbing," "as if he's bathing in blood," and "as if he's burning in hell."
The portrait, which will eventually hang in Drapers' Hall, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales's 50 years as a member of The Drapers' Company in 2022.
Photo and video: Instagram @theroyalfamily.
