King Charles III and Queen Camilla have unveiled their official coronation portraits. The two paintings, commissioned to commemorate the 2023 coronation, were made by longtime royal collaborators and artists Peter Kuhfeld and Paul Benney, respectively.
Kuhfeld’s portrait shows King Charles in his coronation regalia, seated with the Imperial State Crown nearby on a plinth. Sunlight from a window illuminates the crown, emphasizing the ceremonial symbolism of the scene. Benney’s painting of Queen Camilla presents her in a silk coronation dress, rendered in near-photorealistic detail as she looks directly out at the viewer.
“My guiding principles in this commission were to both acknowledge the grand and historic nature of the coronation iconography with all the equipage of the monarchy, and at the same time reveal the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role,” said Benney in a press statement.
Coronation portraits have long been a tradition in the British Monarchy, depicting the sovereign in regalia and often incorporating visual references to state power, such as a crown or scepter. For instance, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation portrait, by Herbert James Gunn, portrayed her in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, with the crown and sceptre at her side.
The release follows mixed reactions to King Charles’s first official portrait, painted by Jonathan Yeo, which was revealed in 2024. The work, dominated by red hues, caused debate across social media for its likeness to imagery of blood or fire. Kuhfeld’s more traditional approach has received a notably more positive early reception, prompting swells of approving commenters on Instagram.
The Royal Collection’s earliest state portrait dates to around 1620 and depicts James VI and I in coronation robes. It currently hangs at Windsor Castle, as does Gunn’s 1953 portrait of Elizabeth II. The new works by Kuhfeld and Benney are the first state portraits to join the collection since then.
