The Controversy Surrounding Jonathan Yeo’s Portrait of King Charles III

When Jonathan Yeo unveiled his official painting of King Charles last week, the portrait; titled ‘HM King Charles III’ took the world – and the internet – by storm. His use of the colour red on the 8-foot canvas was the subject of thousands of memes and TikTok videos. It was a reaction the artist, who has painted several members of the royal family during his career, had not anticipated.

In this week’s A Right Royal Podcast, host Andrea Caamano and HELLO!’s royal editor Emily Nash had the pleasure of catching up with the renowned artist to talk about his painting, which was four years in the making. We got the lowdown on some of the hilarious reactions that entertained the world – and his two daughters, and what the King really thought of it.

Jonathan opens up about his four-hour-long sittings with the King, some of which happened before he ascended to the throne. Also, how the Monarch reacted to his use of colour red in their last sitting, which took place last November. “When I showed it to him back in November, when it was sort of three-quarters done… certainly the face was done, body was sketched and the colour was mostly pretty much as it was, in the end. If he’d been appalled, I think, I might have rethought it and toned it down a bit. But he didn’t seem that way,” Jonathan reveals.

The Choice of Red

Why the use of red? The painter explains: “That was something I’d made an early decision to try out. Because I thought it was an interesting colour and you want it to be interesting.” Did he know the use of the colour would be so divisive? “I didn’t think it was a risky thing to do, I thought it was an interesting colour,” he says. “It was a more formal commission than I’m used to,” adds Jonathan of the high-profile job.

Jonathan also reveals if the monarch made contact with him after the picture went viral, as well as detailing which were the most difficult parts of the artwork to paint. He mentioned that the painter was given a specific size by The Drapers Company “because I had to match some other royal portraits they have in their hall”. He was also told that Charles must be in uniform, “the Welsh Guard’s tunic with its bright red colour.” So, his goal was “to figure out how to incorporate that.”

The controversy surrounding Jonathan Yeo’s portrait of King Charles III has brought about discussions on the use of color in royal portraits, the artist’s personal interactions with his subjects, and the challenges faced in creating such a high-profile piece. This unexpected reaction to the painting has certainly sparked interest and debate among art enthusiasts and royal followers alike.