A new portrait of the King and Queen has been panned by as ‘sinister and uninspiring’ by a critic.
The painting of Charles and Camilla will be unveiled by Tatler magazine on the cover of their June edition.
It marks the couple’s 20th wedding anniversary and was created by the monarch’s tour artist Phillip Butah – the youngest ever to win the Prince of Wales Young Artists’ Award.
Butah, who is in his early forties, based the portrait on a picture taken by photographer Millie Pilkington in Buckingham Palace‘s garden last year.
But one expert has already expressed their dislike of the piece ahead of its official reveal.
Chief art critic at The Telegraph, Alastair Sooke, said the royal pair, painted closely together, resembled a ‘two-headed monster’.
‘It makes the King very much look like his father and the smile looks defiant,’ he wrote.
‘Almost slightly like a snarl, rather than a kindly, welcoming smile.’
A painting of the King and Queen (pictured), due to be unveiled in June by Tatler magazine, has been criticised as inaccurate and dull
The commissioned work was based on this image of the royal couple taken by photographer Millie Pilkington in the garden of Buckingham Palace
However, he praised the fact that the arms closest to each other were not visible in the portrait, giving the impression of marital unity or being ‘joined at the hip’.
‘It’s very noticeable that you can’t see his left arm and hand or her right arm or hand, so what’s nice about it and sweet is that they’re really a marital unit and really joined at the hip,’ he added.
‘It’s almost like their bodies are fused, but it’s slightly ungainly from a positional point as it also could look a little like a two-headed monster, but if you’re being sweet it certainly depicts their codependence or certainly his reliance on her.’
The work has also come under fire online, with some claiming it bears no resemblance to the King in particular.
‘Camilla looks brilliant but the eyes on the king look like Biden,’ one remarked. Another added that while the Queen ‘looks good’ they struggled to understand ‘who that guy next to her is though’.
Speaking of his work, painter Butah, who was invited to join Charles and Camilla on their state visit to Kenya in 2023, said: ‘I think it will be a first. I have never seen the royal couple painted together on the cover of a magazine, and I just want people to enjoy it and see it as a celebration of our King and Queen.
It follows last year’s portrait of Kate commissioned by the magazine (pictured here), which was panned by critics
The canvas was based on Kate’s appearance at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London (pictured)
The artist behind the King and Queen’s portrait, Phillip Butah (pictured) is the monarch’s tour artists
Hannah Uzor (pictured) was the artist behind the 2024 painting of the Princess of Wales – and said her expressions were ‘key’ to study
‘They are one of the most famous couples of our time, so it was fascinating for me to see the personal side of their relationship. It is so strong and they are a great team.’
Butah said he selected a ‘summer-y’ green colour for the background to reflect the setting of the garden and the informality of the portrait.
A portrait of the Princess of Wales, which had also been unveiled by Tatler, too faced criticism last year.
Commissioned by artist Hannah Uzor, the painting was panned as a ‘parody’ by critics.
Kate did not sit for the artwork, having stepped back from public duties as she underwent cancer treatment.
In her absence, Hannah studied pictures and videos of public engagements to help get a sense of the royal’s character, especially inspired by Kate’s first state banquet of the King’s reign.
The artist said that looking at the Princess’s facial expressions was ‘key’.
‘It’s really important to capture the soul of the person, so I spent a lot of time looking [at Kate], looking at her pictures, watching videos of her, seeing her with her family, seeing her in diplomatic visits, seeing her when she’s rowing or visiting children in a hospice,’ she explained.
‘It’s been really interesting for me to get a sense of who she is.’
Once Hannah was happy with the sketch, she moved on to selecting the ensemble.
‘This particular outfit I chose was striking. It made her look very regal and very confident,’ she said.
Grove Gallery’s managing director Alex Bury told MailOnline at the time :’The eyes in this portrait fail to capture the true beauty and engaging presence of the Princess of Wales.
‘This misalignment between the serene, almost passive expression in the portrait and the vibrant personality seen in her public appearances detracts from the overall impact of the piece.
‘It lacks the femininity of power and dignity that she naturally exudes.’
