On Tuesday, 75-year-old King Charles III unveiled a new official portrait of himself, painted by artist Jonathan Yeo. The portrait, which many royal observers quickly labeled as "disturbing," was presented in the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.<br /><br />In the portrait, Charles wears the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. "It was a privilege and pleasure to be commissioned by The Drapers' Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty the King, the first to be unveiled since his coronation," Yeo said in a quote shared on the official Instagram of the royal family. "When I began this project, His Majesty the King was still His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and just like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait evolved as the subject's role in our public life transformed."<br /><br />Yeo added: "I do my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched on the face of any individual sitter, and I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait. Trying to capture this for His Majesty the King, who occupies such a unique role, was a tremendous professional challenge which I greatly enjoyed and am immensely grateful for."<br /><br />Comments on the portrait were not kind. It features a ghostly-looking Charles against a red background. "Sorry, this is a bit scary," commented one royal observer, while another said, "I'm sorry, but his portrait looks like he's in hell."<br /><br />Other royal observers noted that the painting looks "slightly disturbing," "as if he's bathing in blood," and "as if he's burning in hell."<br /><br />The portrait, which will eventually hang in Drapers' Hall, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales's 50 years as a member of The Drapers' Company in 2022.<br /><br />Photo and video: Instagram @theroyalfamily.
