After King Charles unveiled his first portrait since the coronation, the striking image has been met with both derision and praise. Here’s what Mirror readers had to say
The first official portrait of King Charles certainly set the cat among the pigeons, with Mirror readers both loving and loathing it.
The striking painting – almost entirely in red – shows Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975. It was painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo after being commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’ half a century as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022.
The unusually vivid portrait also features a Monarch butterfly resting on the King’s shoulder, something that it turns out had actually been suggested by the royal himself. Unveiled last week at Buckingham Palace in celebration of the monarch’s first year on the throne, the eye-catching image certainly caused quite a stir.
Almost five thousand of you voted in our poll Do you like King Charles’ official portrait? With a sizeable 2,787 saying no and 1,852 saying yes.
“Horrible thing, can’t call it a picture”
Mirror readers didn’t hold back on their opinions, with one decribing the divisive artwork as ‘horrible’ while another deemed it ‘stunning’.
Flameyhelmet: “The red signifies the rage the public feel about still having to put up with him and his family.”
Jimbobs: “The head is good but all that red looks like fire. And the hands aren’t good.”
Chrissie Jane: “I really like it!”
Dixiebee: “Horrible thing, can’t call it a picture”.
Trublugeoff: “It is horrendous. The king’s face said it all when he unveiled it. My three-year-old grandaughter would have done better.”
Manker: “I think it’s stunning. Must be a very good artist.”
Jeff509: “Stunning likeness with a monochormatic block emphasising face and hands. Much better than the usual style that has been around for 400 years.”
Jane59: “I’ve never been one to enjoy same-colour portrait but this is very different! I myself would prefer the normal types of portrait that are usually done of the monarch. I remember one of our late Queen … she wasn’t very pleased with but, like Charles, always the diplomat!”
Taking to social media, one user wrote: “So, King Charles unveiled the first official portrait of himself … hmm. Is it just me, or is there a kind of sinister look about it?”
If you can’t see the poll, click here
While another posted: “A portrait of #KingCharles in red: the colour of the blood shed by oppressed peoples under the boot of the British monarchy and its colonial legacy.”
While another commented: “What in the fiery depths of hell is this monstrosity? Is #KingCharles announcing he’s an Antichrist?”
Someone even felt that the portrait bore a striking semblance to Star Wars ’ Han Solo after he was encased in carbonite. Without holding back, the user quipped: “C3PO: Oh. They’ve encased him in Carbonite. He should remain the monarch for a very long time then. If he survived the freezing process, that is.”
In keeping with the Hollywood theme, another member of the public felt it had a closer similarity to Vigo the Carpathian, the subject of a haunted painting in Ghostbusters II. Sharing a still from the film, they wrote: “Why does the new King Charles portrait remind me of this icon from Ghostbusters??.”
However, not everyone disliked it as several fans praised the artwork and lauded the move to introduce something new and modern into the mix. One fan wrote: “Simply stunning. Here’s the new portrait of #OurKing which captures HM’s gentle and caring soul. Simply stunning, really.”
Meanwhile a second echoed: “I simply love this new portrait of #OurKing by @RealJonathanYeo and commissioned by #TheDrapersCompany,” alongside a string of heart emojis.
