King Charles on Tuesday unveiled his first official portrait since his coronation last year in May, and it has received varied responses, with some drawing comparisons to the "archdemon of hell".
Painted by artist Jonathan Yeo, the portrait shows His Majesty bathed in a pool of crimson, with a single monarch butterfly perched on his shoulder. According to the palace, the portrait, standing over 6 feet tall, was painted over three years and shows the King wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, a regimental role he assumed in 1975.
The portrait was posted to the Royal Family's official Instagram page. This dramatic painting, dominated by shades of red, appears to have left social media users disappointed, with many referring to it as "satanic".
See the picture here:
Sharing the picture on X, formerly Twitter, a user wrote, “I unironically love the new King Charles portrait because of how evil it looks. Archdemon of hell a*s portrait.”
I unironically love the new King Charles portrait because of how evil it looks. Archdemon of hell ass portrait pic.twitter.com/40OpcWZgZM
— Zi Xu (@ziqqix) May 14, 2024
Another user wrote that it was the “ugliest thing I have ever seen.”
King Charles has unveiled the first official portrait of himself since his coronation.
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) May 14, 2024
It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen…
pic.twitter.com/yzKOcIfCy5
Somebody asked, “Anybody else find the new portrait of King Charles III incredibly disturbing and off-putting?”
Anybody else find the new portrait of King Charles III incredibly disturbing and off-putting? pic.twitter.com/s9tU4GOO4E
— Creepy.org (@creepydotorg) May 15, 2024
“Who approved King Charles III's new portrait cuz it looks like he's in hell,” another tweet read.
Who approved King Charles III's new portrait cuz it looks like he's in hell?! pic.twitter.com/sxbZRytXeL
— Kristen Van Nest ✍️ Author of WHERE TO NEST (@KristenVanNest) May 14, 2024
An X user called the portrait “absolutely fecking hideous”, adding that it “looks like he is burning in hell.”
King Charles new portrait is absolutely fecking hideous, looks like he is burning in hell. pic.twitter.com/grp60amVn0
— JmRoyle #LFC #YNWA #BLM #GTTO (@MyArrse) May 14, 2024
Someone else called it "the poster for a truly nightmarish horror movie."
I appreciate the attempt at something unconventional, but this new King Charles portrait looks like the poster for a truly nightmarish horror movie. https://t.co/BwjojTlZjk
— Kristen Meinzer (@kristenmeinzer) May 14, 2024
“Probably the last painting done of him before he dies, and it's just him wreathed in the flames of hell,” another tweet read.
Showing King Charles his royal portrait, probably the last painting done of him before he dies, and it's just him wreathed in the flames of hell, is absolute banter. pic.twitter.com/RhMFVUZIEH
— Spice8Rack - Worst Account (@Spice8Rack) May 14, 2024
The painting will be exhibited at the Philip Mould Gallery in London for one month starting May 16. It will then be permanently displayed at Drapers Hall, a historic London building once owned by King Henry VIII.
King Charles was crowned on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey, following his ascension to the throne on September 8, 2022, after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. This marked the first coronation since Elizabeth II's in 1953, almost 70 years ago.
In February, the royal family announced that the King had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment. On Monday, May 13, during a visit to the Army Flying Museum in Hampshire, King Charles mentioned experiencing a side effect of his treatment in a conversation with British Army veteran Aaron Mapplebeck. He spoke about a "loss of taste" during his treatment, reported The Sun.
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