All the hidden details you missed in King Charles' first official portrait since his coronation (2024)

FAQs

Why is there a butterfly in the King Charles portrait? ›

The butterfly located above Charles' shoulder in the painting is described as being representative of not only the king's transformation to monarch, but also his passion for environmental causes.

KURTZLEBEN: OK, so a lot of listeners are likely familiar with the subject, King Charles, but probably less so with the artist who painted this piece, Jonathan Yeo.

After the Service, Their Majesties will returned to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession, known as 'The Coronation Procession'.

The service at Westminster Abbey will start at 11am and finish at 1pm, lasting around two hours.

It famously became a place of refuge for the future Charles II, who in 1651 concealed himself in an oak tree near the house in order to evade Parliamentarian forces. His dramatic escape and subsequent restoration to the throne made both the house and the Royal Oak, as it became known, popular tourist attractions.

As for why he chose to use so much red in the portrait, the 53-year-old said he wanted it to tone and distract from the King's brightly coloured uniform. “I thought the red will really distract,” he told the paper, adding that his solution was to instead cover the whole painting in crimson.

One work highlight is Nelson Shanks' highly emotive portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Julian Schnabel | Portrait of God (from the Mutant Kings series) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The very first portrait is attributed to the artists of the Old Egyptian Empire (2700-2300 BC). Entirely dedicated to the deceased, to kings and to divinities, these portrait paintings are not made to be seen by the living but intended for the spiritual world.

Charles instantly became king and his wife, Camilla, formerly the duch*ess of Cornwall, became the Queen Consort, a request made by the former monarch. (Charles was previously married to the late Princess Diana.) After Charles, the line of succession turns to his older son William.

What happens if king dies before coronation? ›

The instant a monarch dies or abdicates, the crown passes on. The coronation is mere formality. The crown can also 'pass over' dead people. If the king's first has a child, the first dies, and then the king dies, the crown passes over the first and onto the child, not to the second.

Seen as a sacred and religious moment (similar to that of baptism), the ceremony was hidden from television cameras during the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II to preserve the mystery surrounding it. The four Knights of the Garter held the canopy of gold over and around the monarch to shield the act from view.

Unlike weddings, which are paid for by the Royal Family, the coronation is a state function hence taxpayers will mostly be footing the bill. The BBC claims some of the funding for the ceremony will also come from the Privy Purse - the Royal Family's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster.

The Anointing takes place before the investiture and crowning of His Majesty. The Dean of Westminster pours holy oil from the Ampulla into the Coronation Spoon, and the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints the Sovereign on the hands, chest and head.

The anointing is traditionally regarded as a sacred moment between the Sovereign and God and the screen is used to shield the sovereign and give sanctity to this moment. The screen was created collaboratively by many specialists in traditional crafts, for which the King has always been a keen advocate and supporter.

Butterfly Art Symbolism

Butterflies represent powerful and profound meanings of life. The insects are metaphors for life, hope, change, transformation, spiritual rebirth, and mystery symbolism. These creatures serve to remind us that life is short and closely mirrors the process of spiritual transformation.

Things You Should Know. Monarch butterflies are symbols of change, transformation, and hope. In some cultures, butterflies represent the souls of deceased loved ones. Seeing a monarch butterfly could mean it's time to do something different and consider what you want to change in your life.

The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is a North American butterfly. It was long thought to be a Batesian mimic of the monarch butterfly, but since the viceroy is also distasteful to predators, it is now considered a Müllerian mimic instead.

The monarch butterfly is known by scientists as Danaus plexippus, which in Greek literally means "sleepy transformation." The name evokes the species' ability to hibernate and metamorphize. Adult monarch butterflies possess two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, featuring black veins and white spots along the edges.