The first official complete portrait of him after the coronation, King Charles revealed today.

This is an oil painting created by the famous artist Jonathan Geo and depicts King Charles in the uniform of the Welsh Guards holding his sword and a butterfly landing on his shoulder. In the image, the red of the uniform fades into the red background, highlighting the king’s face.

The project is 2.40 meters long and 1.87 meters wide. In his artistic career Geo has also painted Tony Blair, Sir David Attenborough and Malala Yousafzai.

Jonathan Geo said he wanted the painting to be special and have a personal touch. “My interest is really in understanding who the person is and trying to capture that on the canvas.”

“People often ask if there is a secret to making a good portrait. And I say I don’t really know. I actually think there is one, and that’s having an interesting topic to start with. And you couldn’t ask for better than that, except for His Majesty,” he added.

Of the butterfly on the king’s shoulder Geo said:

“In the history of art, the butterfly symbolizes transformation and rebirth».. The butterfly is also a reference to the King of Great Britain’s long-standing interest in the environment. According to Geo, the butterfly was the king’s idea that came up during their discussions about the story they could tell through the portrait.

The unveiling took place at Buckingham Palace and according to the BBC, when Queen Camilla saw the painting she said to the painter: “Yes, you have it”.

The painting was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’ 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company.