Coronation portrait of UK's King Charles unveiled
LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - The official coronation portrait of Britain's King Charles was made public on Tuesday, two years after he was crowned, in a tradition dating back more than 400 years to a time when such a painting often became the defining image of a monarch.
The portrait of Charles, in his Robe of State standing beside the Imperial State Crown, and one of his wife, Queen Camilla, will go on display in London's National Gallery for a month before being moved to Buckingham Palace, their permanent home, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Tuesday.
Charles, 76, who was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer early last year some 10 months after his coronation, has been sitting for the portrait while he undergoes treatment.
The king and queen commissioned the paintings shortly after the coronation ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey, choosing different artists. Charles was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, while Camilla selected Paul Benney, Buckingham Palace said.
"I have tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture," Kuhfeld said in a statement of the image of the king whose backdrop is the Throne Room in St James's Palace.
Camilla is seen wearing her Coronation Dress of ivory coloured silk, next to a different crown. Benney said he wanted to acknowledge the historic nature of the coronation while also showing "the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role".
Historically, the paintings were used as a show of power. The earliest example in the royal collection is the state portrait of James I of England, James VI of Scotland, from 1620.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Dad strikes' in London and Edinburgh demand better paternity leave
Hundreds of fathers took to the streets of London and Edinburgh on Wednesday to demand better paternity leave, in a protest that was billed as the world's first dad strike. They came with babies in papooses and pushchairs, as they brandished placards and dad jokes to call for an overhaul of the meanest paternity leave system in Europe. One of the signs outside the Department for Business and Trade in Admiralty Place read: 'The worst dad joke: two weeks paternity leave!' They chanted nursery rhymes adapted for the occasion. 'Twinkle, twinkle, little babe, Daddy's leave is not well paid,' went one. 'The dads on the bus want time at home,' they sang in another. A washing line was rigged up, pegged with coloured baby clothes spelling out 'two weeks is not enough'. George Gabriel, from the Dad Shift, the campaign that organised the protest, said: 'We draw inspiration from women in Iceland who ran the world's first women's strike back in the 70s, when they stopped doing domestic work. As a result, Iceland has got the world's best gender equality legislation.' He added: 'But we're not asking for time off, we're asking for time on. We're downing tools at work so that we can spend time with our families. 'At the very least we want to see six weeks of paternity leave at regular pay. That was recommended by the women and equalities committee on Tuesday. It should be a basic minimum – the average across Europe is eight weeks. The UK paternity leave is lowest in Europe, and 40th out of 43 developed countries.' The group says that better paternity leave would help close the gender pay gap by helping families share childcare and thereby make it less likely for new mothers to take career breaks or go part-time. Gabriel, an IT consultant who is taking four months of paternity leave, also cited a new longitudinal study that found affectionate relationships between fathers and their sons reduced the risk of domestic violence. He said: 'There's a lot of pressure on fathers to protect and provide, but the research shows the most important thing you can provide your kids with is your presence. The most important way to protect our boys is to be active, healthy role models in their lives day to day.' The prospect of a dad strike was greeted with some scepticism by those who are wary about public money funding fathers. Gabriel says: 'We have had some people who accuse us of being a bunch of woke dads from east London. But the polling shows 90% of fathers these days want to be an active, more active, part of their children's lives.' Duncan Dragonetti, from Wiltshire, arrived at the rally after changing his daughter Thomasin's nappy in St James's Park. Despite the parental chores, he said he had a 'great time' spending the last four months with his daughter. He disputes the claim that only middle-class families would benefit from better paternity pay, having witnessing the benefits of Sweden's generous system while working for Spotify. 'In Sweden, you get 480 days between both parents over 10 years. The dads have to take 90 days or they lose them, so everyone takes it and the equality in the workforce is far more balanced.' He added: 'Most modern fathers are looking to be closer to their children and want to spend their time with them.' Richard Odufisan, who works at a construction company, came to the protest with his three-year-old son Ewa asleep in his pushchair. He says the real parenting only begins after the two-week statutory period, and that the rate should be much higher. He said: 'The current rate is less than 50% of the national living wage. If you were taking on parenting as a job, legally you can't pay some one that low. Increasing would create an incentive for fathers, particularly those on lower salaries, to take parental leave.' Sophie Barnett was one of number of new mothers who was taking part in the protest. She came with her nine-month-old daughter Penny and her husband, James, who was allowed only two weeks of paternity leave. She said: 'You have to parent as a team, but after two weeks that team gets torn apart at a really crucial time for the baby – they don't sleep through the night – they have to wake up every three hours to eat. James had go back to work running on empty. It was really disruptive for the whole household.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
King reunites with old Royal Navy shipmates for trip down ‘memory sea-lane'
The King has hosted a reunion with old shipmates from his Royal Navy days at Buckingham Palace, sharing 'a few salty tales on the trip down memory sea-lane'. The special private reception, staged for the King's fellow sailors, was staged following a personal request from Charles, who funded the event himself. The 76-year-old monarch, who served in the Royal Navy between 1971 and 1976, was said to be 'greatly looking forward' to the catch-up with his former comrades and has been 'grateful for their continued loyalty, laughter and support' over the years. An aide to the King said: 'His Majesty was greatly looking forward to seeing his old shipmates and no doubt sharing a few salty tales on the trip down memory sea-lane. 'He is most grateful for their continued loyalty, laughter and support over the decades, and looked forward to hearing where life's journeys had taken them all.' Some 400 guests gathered with the King, who is now Head of the Armed Forces, in the royal residence, including his former mates, and their partners, from HM Ships Bronington, Jupiter, Norfolk, Hermione, Minerva, Hermes, Dryad, Fox, and the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. After passing out at RAF Cranwell, the young Prince of Wales began his naval career as a 22-year-old acting sub-lieutenant when he joined an accelerated graduates course at Britannia Royal Naval College in 1971. Two months later, he was posted to the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, and then to the frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter. In 1974, the future King qualified as a helicopter pilot, and he flew with 845 Naval Air Squadron from the commando aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. In 1976, Charles took on his final post with the Royal Navy, becoming the Commanding Officer of Ton-class minesweeper HMS Bronington. His active naval career ended in December 1976, with the rank of Commander. Fellow aviators drawn from 845 Naval Air Squadron and across the Fleet Air Arm were also among the guests, as were contingents from HMY Britannia and the King's Navy-related patronages, The White Ensign Association, The Royal Navy Club of 1765 and 1785, The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and the Association of Royal Naval Officers. Charles set up his youth charity, The King's Trust, formerly known as The Prince's Trust, with his Navy severance pay nearly 50 years ago, and the King's aide said the reception was 'a timely opportunity to reflect on what great things have sprung from those formative years'. No media were present for the private get-together. The aide said: 'As we approach the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust, which was initially funded with His Majesty's £7,400 severance pay from the Navy, it was a timely opportunity to reflect on what great things have sprung from those formative years – including lifelong friendships and a continued commitment to public service.' Charles's shipmates have previously reflected on his seafaring days. Former clearance diver Petty Officer John Friar, who served on HMS Bronington, said the-then Lieutenant Wales was 'without doubt, the best ship handler by far'. He added: 'Believe me, if he had been rubbish, I would say so. 'He was not a good sailor in that he got very seasick, but then again, so did Nelson.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
King Charles holds emotional private reunion with former Royal Navy mates at Buckingham Palace
The King has held an emotional private reunion for 'old shipmates' from his time serving in the Royal Navy at Buckingham Palace - even sharing a few 'salty tales'. Charles, 76, paid for the event privately to bring together some of those he served with as a young man, as well as representatives from associated naval organisations. Then a dashing young Prince of Wales, he embarked on a career in the Royal Navy in 1971 at the age of just 22, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and both great-grandfathers. Charles was an acting sub-lieutenant when he joined an 'accelerated graduates' course at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on 15 September. Two months later he was posted to the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, and then to the frigates HMS Minerva and HMS Jupiter. During 1972 he experienced life at sea during the Cold War on HMS Dolphin, sailing with hunter-killer HMS Churchill, studying navigation at HMS Mercury and minehunter HMS Glasserton. His career took a step up when he became a gunnery officer on HMS Minerva on West Indies patrol, before being transferred for a brief time to her sister ship HMS Jupiter in the Pacific before returning to England to learn naval aviation. In 1974, the future King qualified as a helicopter pilot, and he flew with 845 Naval Air Squadron from the commando aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. He took on his final post with the Navy in February 1976, becoming the Commanding Officer of minesweeper HMS Bronington. Over the next 10 months, he commanded the small vessel during exercises and on operations where he dealt with Second World War ordnance - and even had to closely monitor a Soviet submarine. His active naval career came to an end in December of that year with the rank of commander - but Bronington remained close to his heart and in 1980 he attended the ceremony when the ship was recommissioned. Charles was popular among his comrades, with contemporaries describing him as easy to teach and having a strong sense of duty. On his retirement from service in 1976 used his naval pension to set up what was the Prince's Trust - now the King's Trust - to help disadvantaged young people, which has grown to become one of the biggest youth opportunity charities in the country. Buckingham Palace said today's reception saw the King greet 400 guests, many of whom were previous shipmates and their partners with whom he had kept in touch over the last half century, as well as fellow aviators drawn from 845 Naval Air Squadron and across the Fleet Air Arm. There was also a contingent of from H.M.Y. Britannia and representatives from the King's patronages The White Ensign Association, The Royal Navy Club of 1765 and 1785, The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and the Association of Royal Naval Officers. An aide said the event was a 'personal request' from the King and was funded by him privately. They added: 'His Majesty was greatly looking forward to seeing his old shipmates and no doubt sharing a few salty tales on the trip down memory sea-lane. 'He is most grateful for their continued loyalty, laughter and support over the decades, and looked forward to hearing where life's journeys had taken them all. 'As we approach the 50th Anniversary of The King's Trust, which was initially funded with His Majesty's £7,400 severance pay from the Navy, it was a timely opportunity to reflect on what great things have sprung from those formative years – including lifelong friendships and a continued commitment to public service.' It comes after the King has praised a 101-year-old veteran as 'amazing' and told him to keep drinking whisky during a visit to Lancashire on Monday. Charles met Richard Brock, who served in the D-Day landings, at the Ceremony of the Keys at Lancaster Castle on Monday and remembered him from a visit to Normandy last year. After asking Richard's age, the King said: 'You are fantastic,' before cheekily adding 'keep drinking the whisky' as he left. Richard, who served with the East Lancashire Regiment, said: 'He just told me I was amazing for my age.' His son Tony Brock, who attended the reception with him, said: 'He mentioned a nip of whisky and said to keep taking it.' During 1972 he experienced life at sea during the Cold War on HMS Dolphin, sailing with hunter-killer HMS Churchill, studying navigation at HMS Mercury and minehunter HMS Glasserton. Pictured during 'familiarisation' training in 1974 at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Charles was dressed in a dove grey suit with a cherry-toned patterned tie and a matching kerchief in his breast pocket. Among those keen to see the King were friends Joan Hardcastle, 103, and Barbara Graham, 93, who had come with staff and two other residents from Laurel Bank Care Home. Joan held a framed photograph of Charles presenting her with her MBE for voluntary services 40 years ago. She said: 'I've seen him several times since. He was fine when I met him, very chatty.' Care home manager Lyndsay Scott said: 'It was Barbara's idea to come. We got here at 9am, we had flasks of tea and croissants.' Charles took part in a Ceremony of Keys outside the castle, a tradition which dates back to 1851 when the keys were presented to Queen Victoria and which Queen Elizabeth II participated in in 2015. Once inside the grounds of the castle, which was a prison until 2011, the King met local business owners who were showcasing their work. He expressed his love of cheese, telling Gillian Hale, of Butlers' Farmhouse Cheeses, that he loved sheep's cheese on a digestive biscuit. He smelled some of the cheeses she had on display but did not taste any. She said: 'We're going to send some to him later in a goody bag. He was so gracious.' The King was also gifted a neck tie and some gloves for the Queen from Northern Yarn.
