Royal artist reveals King Charles' reaction to official portrait
Jonathan Yeo, who is known for his portraits of royal family members, has revealed the King and Queen's reaction to the most recent portrait of King Charles which made headlines.
The portrait, which was done in four sittings from 2020, featured the King in his crimson Welsh Guards uniform, with a butterfly hovering above his shoulder.
"People don't know their own faces, so it's much more useful to see the reaction of someone who knows that person well because they know in a split second if you've captured them," he told The Times.
"Sometimes they'll say it, but more often you see it in their face – amazement, pleasure or recognition."
He recalled how during his and Charles' final sitting in November, Camilla told him: "Yes, you've got him," with a look of recognition across her face.
Yeo also revealed that the King saw the portrait when it was half completed and despite the surprise at the intense colour, he smiled at the painting and said: "It is remarkable how it has turned out."
The artist said that the King and Queen were prepared for the mixed reactions from the public.
"They knew what to expect," he told the publication, before revealing that the King appeared in good health despite his recent cancer diagnosis.
"[Our last sitting] was before his diagnosis. He didn't look remotely ill to me, and he looked amazingly well on Tuesday."
"We already had a bit of a rapport and that definitely makes it easier," Yeo said of the painting process.
"He was really relaxed and I think it helped that he is interested in the process. We spent a lot of time talking about art and artists, as well as the environment."
Image: Aaron Chown-PA/POOL supplied by Splash News/ Shutterstock Editorial