It’s been nearly two years since Charles became king of England following his mother’s 70-year reign. To mark the second anniversary of his coronation, King Charles officially unveiled his coronation portrait. Alongside his wife, Camilla, the king revealed the couple’s portraits on May 6 at the Central Hall at the National Gallery in England. Buckingham Palace shared a video of the unveiling on social media, and the couple seemed delighted by what they saw.
Videos by InspireMore
Per Buckingham Palace, “These portraits join an important tradition of Coronation State Portraits dating back many centuries. The new portraits will be on display in the Central Room at the @NationalGallery, of which The King is Royal Patron, from Tuesday 6th May until Thursday 5th June. They will then move to their permanent home in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. They will be able to be seen during the Summer Opening of the State Rooms (10th July – 28th September 2025).”
King Charles Had A Different Artist For His Coronation Portrait Than His Wife
Per the palace, King Charles chose Peter Kuhfeld to paint his coronation portrait, and Camilla chose Paul S. Benney. “Both artists are known to Their Majesties already, having previously contributed to other royal commissions,” the palace shared.
After a showing at the National Gallery, the portraits will stay on display permanently in the Thorne Room at Buckingham Palace.
Kate Mansey shared footage of the portraits on X and loved what she saw.
“The King and Queen have unveiled official Coronation portraits at the National Gallery. The Queen said of her painting by Paul Benney: ‘I just love it.’ Charles praised the ‘wonderful composition’ of his, by Peter Kuhfeld. The artist wanted Charles to look ‘human and regal.’ Thoughts,” she wrote.
This person like Camilla’s coronation much more than King Charles’. “Hers is lovely; very accurate a capture. His is … not. It’s a stylistic choice but it isn’t a clear representation. One can see how we may have distorted imaginations of past monarchs, based upon their own preferences of what they want to look like rather than did,” they wrote.
“Both portraits are very different styles but absolutely beautiful,” someone pointed out.
This story’s featured image is by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
