and social media is flooded with memes comparing it to a classic
King Charles today unveiled the first completed official portrait of himself since the Coronation at Buckingham PalaceStar Wars scene.
Sci-Fi fans said that the King had been ‘Hans Solo’d’ in reference to a scene in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in which the space pirate is frozen in carbonite due to the red hue covering Charles’ body in the painting.
The portrait was also likened to the villain from Ghostbusters 2, Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th century medieval tyrant whose ghost took up residence in his own portrait.
Others joked that the painting looks like it has ‘been attacked by Just Stop Oil’.
King Charles today unveiled the first completed official portrait of himself since the Coronation at Buckingham Palace
Sci-Fi fans said that the King had been ‘Hans Solo’d’ in reference to a scene in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in which the space pirate is frozen in carbonite due to the red hue covering Charles’ body in the painting
The portrait was also likened to the villain from Ghostbusters 2, Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th century medieval tyrant whose ghost took up residence in his own portrait
Others joked that the painting looks like it has ‘been attacked by Just Stop Oil ‘
The painting, by the renowned artist Jonathan Yeo, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then-Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company.
It depicts His Majesty wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975.
The red tones covering the majority of the canvas is part of Yeo’s signature style and can be seen in his other portraits, including one of Queen Camilla from 2014 that is dominated by hues of blue.
The canvas size – approximately 8.5ft by 6.5ft framed – was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside.
Yeo had four sittings with The King, beginning when His Majesty was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House.
The painting was completed by the renowned artist Jonathan Yeo (pictured in London in 2018)
A portrait by Jonathan Yeo of Queen Camilla in 2014 when she was Duchess of Cornwall
Charles stands at Buckingham Palace today next to Jonathan Yeo who painted the portrait
The 53-year-old artist said: ‘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.
‘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.
‘I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face. In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity.
‘I’m unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King.’
