King Charles III appeared momentarily shocked at the unveiling of his first official portrait painting as monarch during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday, and it has been widely discussed online.
The king met with artist Jonathan Yeo in the palace's blue drawing room for the unveiling of the portrait, which was commissioned to celebrate his 50th year as a member of London's Drapers' Company in 2022.
Sittings for the painting began before Charles became king and were completed in November 2023 after his coronation. The monarch has resumed his rounds of in-person engagements following a cancer diagnosis in February.
Yeo's interpretation of Charles is striking in its depiction of the 75-year-old against an abstract red-washed background that bleeds into the foreground, leaving only his face in focus.
The artist said he was inspired by two key elements: the vibrant red color of Charles' uniform as Colonel of the Welsh Guards, a role he handed to Prince William after his accession; and also the king's own suggestion that he include a butterfly in the composition, depicting the new monarch with a monarch butterfly on his shoulder.
The polarizing final portrait has divided opinion online and, for a brief moment, King Charles himself appeared to look shocked at the unveiling. Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace via email for comment.
Uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) by user @I_amMukhtar, press footage captured at the Buckingham Palace event caught the moment the monarch pulled away the sheet covering the painting, quickly raising his shoulders and offering a short chuckle.
Captioned "He freaked out when he saw himself," the video has been viewed over 112,000 times. Though the shock was likely an attempt by the king at self-deprecation, many social-media users have similarly noted his reaction.
The painting itself has been both praised and criticized.
Chief art critic at U.K. newspaper The Telegraph Alastair Sooke suggested the likeness is closer to Charles' father, Prince Philip, and that the composition's high collar "clamps his throat like a shackle."
Laura Freeman, U.K. newspaper The Times's chief art critic, wrote that Yeo deserved a "knighthood for the face" but should be sent "off to the Tower [of London] with the background to await a grisly execution."
Social-media users also made their thoughts on the painting known.
"King Charles has unveiled the first official portrait of himself since his coronation. It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen... " wrote web-show host Graham Allen on X.
"Anybody else find the new portrait of King Charles III incredibly disturbing and off-putting?" posted another user.
Of his painting, Yeo said in a palace news release that it was a "privilege and pleasure" to be asked to paint the king.
"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," Yeo said.
"I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter's face. In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of Royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century Monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject's deep humanity. I'm unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King."
Charles was joined at the unveiling by Queen Camilla, whom Yeo painted in 2014.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
