Wearing a suit and a bracelet given to him by an indigenous Amazon leader, this is the first official portrait released of King Charles III.
And in a touching nod to his late mother it was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, a former QEST – Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust – scholar.
The release comes as King Charles prepares ahead of his first official state visit to Germany on Wednesday.
The monarch postponed a planned visit to France earlier this week following widespread civil unrest and German authorities are set to deploy up to 1,100 officers during the two-day tip to Berlin and Hamburg.
The King and Queen are expected to be received at the capital’s Brandenburg Gate , the first foreign leaders since the Second World War to be honoured in such a way, before he dines with his German cousins at a state banquet hosted by the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The new portrait of King Charles III was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, a former QEST – Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust – scholar, in a nod to the King’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II
A portrait by artist and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust scholar Alastair Barford painted of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 to mark her becoming Britain’s longest-reigning monarch
The portrait was commissioned by the Illustrated London News and will feature on the front cover of its special Coronation Edition.
The artist had just two weeks to complete the likeness.
While His Majesty did not sit for the portrait, Mr Barford was able to study him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in February held in support of global biodiversity, working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion.
The bracelet on His Majesty’s wrist was presented to The King by the Amazonian leader Domingo Peas and was included to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King’s advocacy on climate change and sustainability.
Mr Barford, who also painted Queen Elizabeth, said: ‘It was a terrifying honour. It’s a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people.
‘I wished to capture his warmth and sensitivity, the empathy which came across in his interactions with the people he met.’
Queen Elizabeth II is wearing the George IV diadem and is holding the sceptre in her right hand which rests, with the Imperial State Crown, on a table to the left, in this portrait from 1953
The artist told The Times that it was important for him to capture the ‘warmth and sensitivity’ of the monarch and the ’empathy which came across in his interactions’.
Mr Barford, who is from Bridgeport in Dorset and studied painting in Florence, birthplace of painters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, said he wanted to picture the king with a ‘sympathetic expression’.
Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of Illustrated London News, said: ‘Illustrated London News has had a long tradition, dating back to 1842, of commissioning royal portraits for Coronation and Jubilee editions.
‘It is the first painting of The King where the artist has been able to observe the Monarch first hand. We are grateful for the Palace’s support in making this happen.’
It came as His Majesty, who will today embark on his first state visit as sovereign to Germany with the Queen Consort, was announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Engineers, taking over from his mother.
Everything you need to know about the coronation weekend
King Charles will be crowned as King at Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6.
As part of the celebrations, a coronation concert will be held. Ten thousand members of the public will be successful in a ticket ballot for the event (Platinum Jubilee concert, 2022, in front of Buckingham Palace)
The ceremony falls on a Bank Holiday weekend, which means Brits will have until Tuesday to celebrate the event.
As part of the celebrations, a coronation concert will be held. But are tickets still available? Where can you purchase them?
Read on below for all you need to know about King Charles’ coronation concert.
When is the King Charles coronation concert?
Part of the celebrations for Charles’ coronation, the concert will be held on the evening of Sunday, 7 May.
This precedes the public Bank Holiday, which falls on Monday, 8 May.
Where is the King Charles coronation concert?
The event will be held on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle. It will be the first time a concert has been held in the grounds.
Which artists will be performing at the coronation concert?
The official lineup has not yet been revealed.
It has been reported that Lionel Ritchie could open proceedings. Andrew Lloyd Webber, who played as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, has also been tipped to make an appearance.
Reports say Adele and Ed Sheeran will be unable to perform, with Harry Styles, Kylie Minogue and Elton John all rumoured to have declined an offer to take the stage at Windsor Castle.
The Coronation Choir, made up of community choirs from across the UK, will perform at the concert.
Are King Charles coronation concert tickets still available?
The public ballot to purchase tickets for the concert has now closed.
10,000 members of the public who did apply will be informed if they have been successful by the end of April.
The remaining tickets will be split between charities of Charles and Camilla, organisations supporting young people, the military, the environment, local communities and the Commonwealth.
It is not yet known if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be in attendance for the coronation ceremony or the concert
Will Prince Harry be at the coronation concert?
Prince Harry has not yet confirmed if he will be present for the coronation ceremony of King Charles, but did reveal he had received an invitation.
Is the coronation concert on TV?
The coronation will be broadcast across the BBC, so is available to watch for free across the UK.
The state visit to Germany will be kicked off with a military welcome ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, the first ceremony of its kind to be offered to a foreign leader since the Second World War.
Access to the event will be strictly controlled, with a police cordon in place including 20 sniffer dogs to find any explosive devices.
Thomas Drechsler, head of police operations, said the desire to walk among the crowds and meet the people who come out to see the King and Queen made planning ‘a kind of tightrope walk’.
The King will also dine with the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, who are personal friends of the royal couple.
Several of the King’s German cousins will be in attendance at the state banquet, a source close to the proceedings told The Telegraph.
The then Prince of Wales lays a wreath on November 15, 2020 during a trip to Berlin for Germany’s National Day of Mourning that commemorates victims of war and fascism
The King and Queen pictured with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and his wife Elke during the couple’s 2020 trip to Berlin. The president will host a state banquet for the royal couple during their visit this week
Prince Ludwig of Baden reminisces about Prince Philip in a BBC documentary. A member of the House of Baden has confirmed they will attend the state banquet in Germany this week
Prince Rainer of Hesse, Princess Clarissa of Hesse, Prince Georg of Hanover and Prince Ludwig of Baden all count the King as a first cousin and he is also closely related to Bernard, hereditary prince of Baden and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
A relative from the House of Baden has said they will attend.
The King is expected to make a speech in both English and German. He is said to be highly proficient in the language, like his late father, Prince Philip, who was fluent.
The monarch has previously spoken about how he ‘cherishes’ his ties with his German ancestry.
On Thursday the King will oversee a joint German-British engineer battalion laying a pontoon bridge over the Oder-Havel canal, north of Berlin.
It is the first joint battalion between the counties for more than two centuries and was reinstituted 18 months ago.
The battalion was intended to rebuild defence ties between Britain and Germany following the initial withdrawal of British troops from the country in 2020 and impacts of Brexit.
Following the Windsor framework, German officials including ambassador Miguel Berger, have suggested there may be more renewed military engagement as proof of ‘renewed trust’ with the UK.