King Charles III Portrait Artist Jonathan Yeo Explains Why He Chose Red for New Painting

Jonathan Yeo, the artist behind King Charles III’s new portrait, explained why he chose to give the painting a red hue.

"The red was inspired by the Welsh Guards, but I wanted the painting to be a little more contemporary and not get in the way of seeing the face and the personality,” Yeo, 53, said, per Hello. "The color was an early experiment and then I sketched it out and worked on the face, and the face and background worked so well.”

Yeo said he tried to make sure “nothing else interfered with the balance.” He added, “It was a nice mix of the traditional and the contemporary."

Charles, 75, is pictured wearing a Welsh Guards uniform while holding a sword in the painting, which is done almost entirely red. A butterfly also hovers over one of the monarch’s shoulders.

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Yeo noted that he received little direction from The Draper’s Company, who commissioned the portrait.

"The only guidance they gave me was the specific scale because they had other portraits of that size. And there was a preference for it to be in uniform, probably Welsh Guards," Yeo said. "Other than that, there was no direction, which is exciting but a little bit daunting. A blank canvas."

Charles had four sittings with Yeo from June 2021 to November 2023. At the beginning of the process, Charles was the Prince of Wales, but by the end, he had been crowned king. (Charles officially became the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth nations following his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022.)

"When he became king halfway through the process, it worked on that level as well," Yeo said. "It's a lovely simple device but one with many associations."

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Yeo gushed that Charles was a “delightful subject,” adding, “Very easy company. He laughs and asks lots of questions and he is interested in art so there is always a lot to talk to about."

The portrait debuted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, May 14. “Today, The King unveiled a new portrait by @RealJonathanYeo at Buckingham Palace,” the royal family wrote with a video shared via their official X account. “The painting — commissioned by The Draper’s Company — is the first official portrait to be completed since His Majesty’s Coronation. It will hang in Draper’s Hall in London.”

This was not Yeo’s first time creating portraits for the royal family. He painted Charles’ late father, Prince Philip, and wife Queen Camilla, in 2008 and 2014, respectively.