King Charles unveils haunting red portrait of himself: ‘Looks like he’s in hell’

King Charles III has a new face. 

On Tuesday, King Charles, 75, unveiled a new official portrait of himself by the artist Jonathan Yeo — which many royal watchers were quick to label “disturbing.”

The portrait depicts Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975, and was unveiled in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace.

“It was a privilege and pleasure to have been 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 royal family’s official Instagram. “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 added, “I do my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched into any individual sitter’s face, and I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait. To try and capture that for His Majesty The King, who occupies such a unique role, was both a tremendous professional challenge, and one which I thoroughly enjoyed and am immensely grateful for.” 

Commenters were not kind to the portrait, which features a ghostly-looking Charles against a red backdrop.