# King Charles' Portrait Jonathan Yeo's first official portrait of King Charles III, unveiled at Buckingham Palace on May 14, 2024, drew jokes within hours that the bright red canvas showed the monarch burning in hell. By May 15, Photoshop edits placing Charles into deep dish pizza and Star Wars scenes were spreading on X and r/photoshopbattles. ## Origin Buckingham Palace unveiled Jonathan Yeo's portrait of King Charles III on May 14, 2024, calling it the first official painted portrait of the king since his May 2023 coronation[2]. Yeo told the BBC he had aimed for something personal and distinctive, with the red of the Welsh Guards uniform fading into the background to bring the face forward. Queen Camilla saw the canvas during the final sitting and told Yeo, "Yes, you've got him"[2]. The Welsh Guards reference goes back to Charles' 1975 appointment as the regiment's Colonel, a post Prince William took over in 2023[1]. - **Platform:** Buckingham Palace unveiling (source), X / Reddit (viral spread) - **Creator:** Jonathan Yeo (painter); meme edits by various users - **Date:** 2024 ## Overview Yeo's painting measures roughly 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in and shows Charles in his Welsh Guards uniform holding a sword, with a butterfly about to land on his shoulder[1]. The red of the uniform fades into an equally red background, so the king's face appears to float inside a crimson haze. That design choice fueled most of the online response: viewers read the red as hellfire rather than regimental symbolism[2]. Photoshop versions of King Charles' Portrait typically keep the floating face intact and change what surrounds it. Edits range from fusing Charles into food photography to inserting him into film stills, with the red field standing in for lava, sauce or stage lighting[3]. The joke works because the composition isolates the face so cleanly that it slots into almost any background without heavy masking. ## How to Use Edits of King Charles' Portrait typically keep Charles' face from the Yeo painting and change what the red field becomes. A common convention is choosing a target image that is already mostly red, like pizza sauce, lava or a stage, so the blend reads as effortless. Captions often lean into the hellfire reading, calling the painting a portal, a conduit or a demonic summoning. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is King Charles' Portrait? It is Jonathan Yeo's first official painted portrait of King Charles III since the 2023 coronation, which became an internet meme because its bright red background made the king look as though he were burning in hell[1]. ### Where did King Charles' Portrait come from? Buckingham Palace unveiled the oil-on-canvas work on May 14, 2024, and X users began mocking the hellish red tone within hours of the unveiling[2]. ### What does King Charles' Portrait mean? Yeo chose the red to reference the Welsh Guards uniform Charles has worn since being made Regimental Colonel in 1975, but online audiences read it as satanic imagery[1]. ### How do you use King Charles' Portrait? Photoshop edits typically isolate Charles' face from the painting and insert it into other red-heavy scenes, like @EmmaTolkin's deep dish pizza version[6]. ### Is King Charles' Portrait still popular? The meme peaked in May 2024 during the unveiling cycle, with Photoshop edits spreading on X and in a r/photoshopbattles thread that week[8]. ## References 1. [https://www.thedailybeast.com/burning-in-hell-or-very-fine-king-charles-first-official-portrait-unveiled]() 2. [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68981200]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/king-charles-portrait]() 4. [https://twitter.com/MyArrse/status/1790422080913109116]() 5. [https://twitter.com/drphiliplee1/status/1790431595557511650]() 6. [https://twitter.com/EmmaTolkin/status/1790748209914290652]() 7. [https://twitter.com/scadarts/status/1790739350109757486]() 8. [https://www.reddit.com/r/photoshopbattles/comments/1cscxmw/psbattle_king_charles_portrait/]() 9. [https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/king-charles-unveils-his-first-portrait-since-coronation-2024-05-14/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/king-charles-portrait Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library