The first official portrait of King Charles III since the start of his reign has been released hours before he and the Queen Consort begin their state visit to Germany.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort have commenced their state visit to Germany – the first of the new reign
Painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, it shows King Charles wearing a navy pinstripe suit, pink tie and pink handkerchief in his breast pocket, along with a bracelet given to him by Amazon indigenous leader Domingo Peas, around his wrist. This is said to symbolise his passion for sustainability and his work on climate change.
The King was presented with the bracelet during an event at a Buckingham Palace reception in February 2023 in aid of biodiversity. Barford was commissioned to study the King at the event, recording his likeness with pictures and sketches. The artist had just two weeks to complete the likeness.
‘I wished to capture his warmth and sensitivity, the empathy which came across in his interactions with the people he met,’ the artist said. ‘It was important that I captured a sympathetic expression.’ Reflecting on the experience of painting the King, Barford said, ‘It was a terrifying honour! It’s a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people. If you are painting someone you know, you bring to the portrait certain preconceptions. While I don’t know the King, he has been an enduring presence in all our lives. So reconciling this “Idea of The King” with the reference material I had gathered was a challenge.’
Barford, 36, is a former QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - scholar who studied in Florence at the renowned atelier of artist Charles H Cecil. Originally from Bridport in Dorset, his first portrait commission was in 2015 when he painted the late Queen Elizabeth II, marking her as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. The new portrait of King Charles III is set to feature on the cover of The Illustrated Coronation Edition which is published on Thursday.
The portrait has been released just before the King’s state visit to Germany, where he will be greeted by a 21-gun salute and a fly-past. He and the Queen Consort will also receive a full ceremonial welcome at the Brandenburg Gate, followed by a meeting with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. In the evening, the King and Queen Consort will dine alongside his German cousins at a white-tie state banquet hosted by the president and his wife at Schloss Bellevue Palace. The monarch had to postpone a planned visit to France earlier in the week, following protests over Macron’s pension reforms.
