The oil painting by Alastair Barford is the first of the monarch to be released since the start of his reign.
In the first portrait released since the start of his reign, King Charles III is shown wearing an indigenous bracelet.
Artist Alastair Barford completed the oil portrait in just two weeks after studying him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in aid of biodiversity in February.
Domingo Peas, an Amazon indigenous leader, presented the monarch with a bracelet during the event.
Mr. Barford incorporated it into his portrait to add context and authenticity, as a symbol of the King’s advocacy for climate change and sustainability.
“I wanted to capture his warmth and sensitivity, the empathy he showed in his interactions with the people he met,” he explained.
“It was critical that I get a sympathetic expression.”
Mr Barford, 36, of Bridport, Dorset, studied painting in Florence on a Queen Elizabeth scholarship and was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 by the Illustrated London News, his first formal commission.
The Daily Telegraph praised the portrait at the time, calling it “a far better likeness than many more famous artists have achieved from extensive sittings with the Queen.”
The new portrait of the King is one of the first to be commissioned since the monarchy changed hands last September, and it will grace the front cover of The Illustrated Coronation Edition.
His Majesty’s first state visit to Germany
Its publication coincides with His Majesty’s first state visit to Germany after a trip to France was canceled due to civil unrest over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
The King, accompanied by the Queen Consort, will seek to highlight the many ongoing links between Germany and the United Kingdom since Brexit, such as a shared commitment to assisting Ukraine.
He will be the first British monarch to address the Bundestag and the first foreign head of state to be greeted by an official military guard at the Brandenburg Gate since World War II.
On Thursday, the King will witness the construction of a B pontoon bridge over the Oder-Havel canal north of Berlin by a joint German-British engineer battalion, the first combined military unit between the two countries in more than two centuries.
To secure the royal visit, the German authorities will deploy up to 1,100 police officers.
“It was a terrifying honor,” Mr. Barford said of his appointment.
“Creating a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people is a huge responsibility.” When you paint someone you know, you bring certain preconceptions to the portrait.
“While I have never met The King, he has been a constant presence in all of our lives.” So reconciling this “King’s Idea” with the reference material I had gathered proved difficult.”
