King Charles' New Portrait Gets A Thumbs Down From Internet

The first official painted portrait of King Charles III since his coronation was unveiled at Buckingham Palace on May 14. The striking red portrait shows the king holding a downward-facing sword, with a butterfly perched on his right shoulder. This 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in portrait was made by British artist Jonathan Yeo, who previously painted Tony Blair, Malala Yousafzai, and Sir David Attenborough. According to the BBC, when Queen Camilla saw the painting, she approvingly said to Yeo: “Yes, you’ve got him.” However, the online users did not share the same sentiment.

Since the unveiling of the portrait, people have overwhelmingly roasted the royal picture. The portrait was shared on the Instagram account of the Royal Family, where it was bombarded with disapproving comments.

Referring to the portrait’s overall red colour, an Instagram user wrote, “I’m sorry but his portrait looks like he’s in hell.” Another chided, “It looks like he’s bathing in blood.” Adopting a more polite tone, an Instagram user wrote, “I don’t get a good feeling from viewing this portrait at all. Apologies to the artist, but it’s not pleasant to look at.”

Someone suggested, “I would have loved this if it was any other colour than red. He really captured the essence of him in the face, but the harshness of the red doesn’t match the softness of his expression.” A rare positive comment read, “I think this is beautiful and such a break from the traditional portraits.”

People were brutal with their reviews on X (Formerly Twitter) as well. An X user described it as “It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.”

A user mentioned, “I think what makes the King Charles portrait so excellent is that it is a) an objectively good piece of art and b) simultaneously extremely memorable.”

Another wrote, “I appreciate the attempt at something unconventional, but this new King Charles portrait looks like the poster for a truly nightmarish horror movie.”

Jonathan Yeo wrote about the portrait in the above-mentioned Instagram post and said, “When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.” He described the rationale behind painting a butterfly as a “reference to the King’s long-held interest in the environment”.