King Charles III Unveils 1st Official Painted Portrait Since His Coronation

The first official painted portrait of King Charles III since his coronation debuted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, May 14.

“Today, The King unveiled a new portrait by [artist Jonathan Yeo] at Buckingham Palace,” the royal family wrote alongside 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.”

In the clip, Charles, 75, removed a black covering to reveal a large red portrait while standing beside Yeo, 53. The painting showed the king wearing a Welsh Guards uniform and clutching a sword with a butterfly hovering over his shoulder.

Hours after posting the video, the royal family shared a statement from Yeo via Instagram.

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“It was a privilege and pleasure to have been commissioned by The Drapers’ Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty The King,” the British artist wrote. “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.

He continued: “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.”

Yeo has previously created portraits for the royal family. He completed paintings of Charles' father, Prince Philip, and wife Queen Camilla in 2008 and 2014, respectively.

The painting comes one year after Charles was formally crowned as the ruler of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth nations.

Charles was honored alongside Camilla, 76, who was officially anointed as the new queen. He assumed the British throne in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

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His first year as king hasn’t been easy, however. Charles announced in February that he was diagnosed with cancer following a routine prostate procedure. At the time, the palace noted that the king would be taking a break from public-facing duties.

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted,” read an official statement. “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.”

The statement continued: “His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”

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Charles’ daughter-in-law Princess Kate Middleton announced her own cancer battle one month later. Before returning to his busy schedule of engagements in April, Charles sent well-wishes to Kate, 42, who married Prince William in 2011.

“His Majesty is so proud of Catherine for her courage and speaking as she did. Following their time in hospital together, His Majesty has remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks,” a March statement noted. “Both their Majesties will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family throughout this difficult time.”