New King Charles portrait, with ‘blood-red palette,’ sparks mixed reaction

The piece, which was unveiled by King Charles and Queen Camilla, has elicited strong reactions from art critics, royal watchers and the broader public.

It’s the first painted portrait to be revealed of King Charles III since his coronation just over a year ago and to say it’s stirring up mixed reactions would be an understatement.

The oil painting, by renowned portrait artist Jonathan Yeo, was unveiled at Buckingham Palace Tuesday and features the monarch staring head-on against a backdrop of red and pink hues. Charles is depicted in the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made regimental colonel in 1975 (Prince William now holds that title). The King’s hands are clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a monarch butterfly hovers over his shoulder.

The piece is as large as it is striking, measuring 8.5 feet by 6.5 feet. It was commissioned in 2020 by the Drapers’ Company, the livery company for the City of London that collects royal portraits.

The piece, which was unveiled by Charles and Queen Camilla, has elicited strong reactions from art critics, royal watchers and the broader public.

The BBC described the painting as “vivid,” while People magazine went with “fiery.” The Times of London’s chief art critic, Laura Freeman, was less charitable, calling it “curiously unthrusting.”

“Has a portrait of a blue-blooded British monarch ever been so very pink?” she continued. “Our Charles quite literally fades into the background, his sleeves little distinguished from the scumbled ground. Pomp? Circumstance? This is a king signalling that he is content to be a wallflower, albeit of the hothouse variety. Won’t impose, mustn’t meddle.”

The Guardian’s art writer, Johnathan Jones, was similarly critical: “A serious portrait would look hard and long at Charles (or anyone), not combine facile pseudo-portraiture with the cheery serotonin of random colour. We all know the king is more complex than this,” he wrote.