“That’s Way Better”, King Charles’s New Portrait Disclosed, and People Finally Like It

A new portrait of King Charles in uniform has been released. This time it has been more well-received than the previous one, with many people finding it more appropriate. However, some viewers have noticed something unsettling in the image.

The picture, taken in the Grand Corridor of Windsor Castle, shows King Charles seated in his ceremonial dress, complete with medals, a sword, and decorations. The image’s release coincides with a tribute from Queen Camilla, who described the armed forces in a video message as a “source of inspiration, reassurance, and pride.”

The image of King Charles, taken last November by Hugo Burnand—a regular royal photographer who also took the official photos of the King’s coronation in 2023—is quite different from the one released just over a month ago.

On May 14, to mark the first anniversary of his coronation, King Charles III unveiled his first official portrait since that momentous day. Painted by artist Jonathan Yeo, this portrait depicts him in a red uniform.

However, the fiery color palette used by the artist has sparked mixed reactions. One commenter said, “This is an awful painting. It doesn’t look cohesive with the face versus the rest of the painting. And that overwhelming red. It’s horrible.” Many others shared similar sentiments.

The new portrait is very different in colors and structure compared to the red one, and it has been happily welcomed by royal fans and people who saw it on the official Royal Family Instagram page. Someone commented, “Now that is a portrait! Much better than that red painting,” and another wrote, “A much better portrait of our Majesty The King.” Other commenters shared similar sentiments: “This portrait is 100% better than the red blob. That one is an embarrassment to be English,” and “That’s a way better portrait.”

However, some commenters focused on the many medals displayed in the portrait, asking questions like, “What did The King do to receive all those medals?” and “What did this old man do to get all these medals?” Despite these questions, the new portrait better reflects King Charles’s work in the army and has been well-liked by many.

People didn’t really welcome the first portrait released by the royal family very well.