Buckingham Palace unveiled the first official portrait of King Charles III since his coronation on Tuesday, and it is stirring controversy. The 2.5×2 painting is by British artist Jonathan Yeo, who has painted high-profile subjects throughout his career, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, actress Nicole Kidman and activist Malala Yousafzai.
Yeo, who began the project when Charles was still Prince of Wales, depicts the monarch wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, sword in hand, against a fiery red background that seems to have almost swallowed it all, as a butterfly it looks like it's about to land on his shoulder.
"Like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject's role in our public life has transformed.", Yeo said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
"I do my best to capture the life experiences etched on each individual person's face. In this case, my aim was also to refer to the traditions of royal portraiture, but in a way that reflects a 21st century monarchy and, above all, to communicate the deep humanity of the subject.
Artist Jonathan Yeo oil on canvas portrait of King Charles III of Britain. The portrait was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales' 50th anniversary as a Fellow of The Drapers' Company in 2022
The work was commissioned to celebrate 50 years of Charles' membership of The Drapers' Company, which funds educational initiatives among other philanthropic endeavours, and will be on public display from 16 May to 14 June at the Philip Mold Gallery in London. It will later hang in the Drapers' Hall from the end of August along with other royal portraits.
The King and Queen are said to be delighted with the portrait. Yeo told the BBC that Camilla told him: "Yes, you shot him", after seeing the result, while the monarch was "slightly surprised by the strong color, but also smiled approvingly.
However, the comments exploded on social networks. Commenting under a post of the portrait on the royal family's Instagram account, one user wrote: "With the uniform and that color it looks like the visual representation of the cause of the massacres carried out by the colonizers", while another said: "I would have preferred any color other than red. It looks like he's going straight to hell."
Art historian Richard Morris wrote in X, “I really like the portrait. You accepted the revelation of your flaws and mortality. That’s what Yeo captures here.”
As for the portrait of the King, Yeo said on his website that the vivid colors of the glazes "not only do they resonate with the royal heritage found in many historical portraits, but they also inject a dynamic, contemporary jolt into the genre with its uniform, powerful coloring – providing a modern contrast to more traditional depictions."
He added that the butterfly symbolized beauty and nature, emphasizing the king's passion for the environment.
