King Charles III, Queen Camilla's coronation portraits unveiled
The coronation portraits of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla were officially unveiled Tuesday, two years to the day since the historic coronation.
Charles and Camilla were on hand for the portraits' unveiling, which took place at the National Gallery in London.
Charles' portrait shows the monarch dressed in his naval uniform and the Robe of State, which he wore to enter Westminster Abbey for the coronation service on May 6, 2023, and during the first part of the service, according to the palace. Also visible in the portrait is the Imperial State Crown, which Charles wore as he exited the Abbey.
The crown had its own sitting for the portrait, while Charles had five sittings over the course of many months, according to the artist, Peter Kuhfeld, whom the king selected himself.
"When [Charles] became King in 2022, I was delighted and honoured to be commissioned by him to paint his official Coronation State Portrait. It has taken over a year and a half to complete," Kuhfeld said in a statement shared by the palace. "I have tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture."
Kuhfeld, who has known Charles for 40 years, said the king also gave his own input on the portrait, adding, "His Majesty gave of his time with his usual graciousness and attention to detail, and we discussed certain aspects of the painting."
Camilla's portrait was painted by Paul S. Benney, who said he spent nearly one year working on the portrait in a temporary studio at Clarence House, Charles and Camilla's main residence in London.
Camilla's portrait features the queen in her coronation dress and Robe of Estate, which she wore at the end of the coronation ceremony. Also included in Camilla's portrait is Queen Camilla's Crown, formally known as Queen Mary's Crown, according to the palace.
Benney said that during his time working on the portrait, he spent "many hours of fascinating and sometime hilarious conversation with Her Majesty on countless varied subjects."
"I shall miss the quiet and relaxed atmosphere while I was working there even when Their Majesties were engaged elsewhere," he said in a statement shared by the palace. "My guiding principles in this commission were to both acknowledge the grand and historic nature of The Coronation iconography with all the equipage of the Monarchy and at the same time reveal the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role."
The portraits will be on display at the National Gallery for the next month and then will be moved to their permanent home in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.
The unveiling of the coronation portraits comes nearly one year after a more controversial portrait of Charles was unveiled.
The over 6-foot-tall portrait, heralded as the first portrait of Charles since the coronation, features a striking red background and shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards.
The unexpectedly modern painting and it's bold red tone drew mixed reactions online quickly after its unveiling, with some commenters appreciating its uniqueness and others saying it did Charles a disservice.
The painting was commissioned by The Drapers' Company to hang in Drapers' Hall in London.
