Umm, Prince Charles Is an Artist—and His Paintings Are Surprisingly Impressive

Published Aug 26, 2020

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5:02pm

Considering ourselves (somewhat) experts of the royal family, we’d like to believe we know all there is to know about the talents each family member possesses: Meghan Markle and her calligraphy skills, Kate Middleton as an amateur photographer, Queen Elizabeth is an accomplished equestrian. But it turns out that Prince Charles is full of surprises.

Not only does he play the cello, but we just learned that the Prince of Wales is also quite a skilled painter. According to a recent Clarance House Instagram Story, the 71-year-old royal is an “experienced watercolorist.” This news doesn't come as a huge surprise, considering he is Patron of the Arts.

@clarencehouse/instagram

As it turns out, it was Charles's childhood “surrounded by art” that sparked his passion for painting. He draws inspiration from natural landscapes across the U.K., as well as from his travels abroad, often painting sceneries of places he has visited. His favorite thing to paint, however, is the surrounding areas of Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral estate.

In fact, a handful of his pieces have even been put on display in the Drawings Gallery of Windsor Castle since his first exhibition in 1977.

Per Insider, he also made more than $2.5 million from the sales of copies of his watercolors from 1997 to 2016, making him one of the country's best-selling living artists. Of course, all of the profits are donated to The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.

To see some of Charles’s most famous paintings (and a shot of the prince in action), visit here.

Alexandra Hough

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