King Charles unveils his first portrait since coronation at Buckingham Palace 
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King Charles unveils his first portrait since coronation at Buckingham Palace 

The portrait was painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo and will eventually be exhibited in Draper’s Hall in London, the royal family announced.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait of the King at Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday.Aaron Chown / AP

Britain’s King Charles III unveiled a new portrait of himself at Buckingham Palace Tuesday.

The portrait, painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, is the first official portrait of the king to be completed since his coronation, according to the royal family's X account.

In a video, Charles pulled a black covering, unveiling the large red portrait alongside Yeo. The king, 75, is wearing a Welsh Guards uniform in the piece and holding a sword. A butterfly hovers over his shoulder.

In a statement shared by the Royal Family, Yeo said he started working on the portrait when the king was still the prince of Wales, and that it "evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed."

Artist Jonathan Yeo in front of the portrait of King Charles.
Artist Jonathan Yeo on Tuesday.Aaron Chown / AP

"I do my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched into any individual sitter’s face, and I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait," Yeo said. "To try and capture that for His Majesty The King, who occupies such a unique role, was both a tremendous professional challenge, and one which I thoroughly enjoyed and am immensely grateful for."


This isn't the first portrait Yeo has worked on for the Royal Family. Yeo completed paintings of Charles' father, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 2008, and his wife, Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, in 2014.

The portrait of Charles will eventually be exhibited in Draper's Hall in London.

The unveiling of the portrait comes two weeks after Charles returned to public duties following his cancer diagnosis a little over three months ago. Last month, Buckingham Palace said that the king’s medical team is “very encouraged” by the progress of his recovery but did not disclose any further details.