The unveiling of King Charles’s first portrait since his coronation is — perhaps predictably — drawing mixed reaction on social media.
The portrait, by British artist Jonathan Yeo, measures about 2.6 metres by two metres and features Charles against a background of red hues, wearing the red uniform of the Welsh Guards military unit. A butterfly is just above his right shoulder.
The artwork had its unveiling on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace, with Charles and Queen Camilla present.
“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,” Rebecca English, the royal editor for the Daily Mail in London, said on X.
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? <a href=”https://t.co/SzwcwqIDb1″>pic.twitter.com/SzwcwqIDb1</a>
—@RE_DailyMail
Others were less charitable in their take on the portrait
“And how much did this rather bizarre portrait of King Charles cost the British taxpayer?” James Melville said on X.
And how much did this rather bizarre portrait of King Charles cost the British taxpayer?<a href=”https://t.co/CgQqblvDGc”>pic.twitter.com/CgQqblvDGc</a>
—@JamesMelville
If the point was to make King Charles look like a ghost emerging from a pool of vomit, then I’d have to say job well done. <a href=”https://t.co/lkLeI4tddz”>pic.twitter.com/lkLeI4tddz</a>
—@jmasseypoet
Some people went for more cinematic references in their postings about the painting.
<a href=”https://t.co/UEkZzU8QIi”>https://t.co/UEkZzU8QIi</a> <a href=”https://t.co/hBAQfkAGGU”>pic.twitter.com/hBAQfkAGGU</a>
—@BRYN_BORANGA
King Charles new portrait rings a bell… <a href=”https://t.co/mBImFbdtRi”>pic.twitter.com/mBImFbdtRi</a>
—@Lucie_Fur99
Yeo started the artwork back in June 2021, when Charles was still the Prince of Wales. Charles became King upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022. Charles’s coronation took place in May 2023.
“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 at Tuesday’s unveiling.
The portrait will be on display at London’s Philip Mould Gallery from May 16 to June 14. From the end of August, it will be displayed at Drapers’ Hall.
The portrait was commissioned to celebrate Charles’s 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, which began as a trade group about 600 years ago and is now a grant-giving body.
