King Charles today revealed the first full official portrait of himself since the coronation at Buckingham Palace and social media is awash with memes comparing it to a classic Star Wars scene.
Sci-fi fans said the King had been ‘Hans Solo’ in reference to a scene from 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 paint. .
The portrait was also compared to Ghostbusters 2 villain Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th-century medieval tyrant whose ghost took up residence in his own portrait.
Others joked that the painting appears to have “been attacked by Just Stop Oil.”
King Charles unveiled the first full official portrait of himself since his coronation at Buckingham Palace today.
Sci-fi fans said the King had been ‘Hans Solo’ in reference to a scene from 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 paint.
The portrait was also compared to Ghostbusters 2 villain Vigo the Carpathian, a 17th-century medieval tyrant whose ghost took up residence in his own portrait.
Others joked that the painting appears to have “been attacked by Just Stop Oil.”
The painting, by 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 appointed regimental colonel in 1975.
The red tones that cover most of the canvas are part of Yeo’s signature style and can be seen in his other portraits, including one of Queen Camilla from 2014 in which blue tones predominate.
The size of the canvas (approximately 8.5 feet by 6.5 feet framed) was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings that will eventually hang alongside it.
Yeo had four sessions with the King, beginning when His Majesty was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and then at Clarence House.
The painting was completed by 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 is today at Buckingham Palace with Jonathan Yeo, who painted the portrait.
The 53-year-old artist said: “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 revealed since his coronation.
‘When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still HRH The Prince of Wales and, like the butterfly I painted floating over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the role of the subject in our lives has transformed. public.
‘I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into each model’s face. In this case, my goal was also to reference the traditions of royal portraiture, but in a way that reflects a 21st century monarchy and, above all, communicate the deep humanity of the subject.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King.”