The oldest painting in the exhibition is of Turkey’s Bodrum Castle from 1989, and the most recent was created in 2018. Visitors are introduced to the Prince’s love of Romania with a scene from Transylvania, and there are, of course, impressions of Wales.įrom the Haughs, Glen Callater, towards Tolmount by HRH The Prince of Wales.

There are paintings from Provence in France and snowy scenes from Klosters in Switzerland-once famed as the royals’ ski resort of choice. A pinkish skyline of the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania is dated 1997 the location and timing suggesting it was created when the Prince took his sons to Africa following Princess Diana’s death. “As anyone who has visited Scotland will know, it offers incredibly inspiring settings it speaks to the soul and I think that is why so many of the Prince’s works are painted there.”Įach of a smattering of landscapes from around the world has a story to tell about the Prince’s official or unofficial travels. He has painted scenes from the Castle of Mey in Caithness, once privately owned by the Queen Mother, who Charles affectionately described as “quite simply the most magical grandmother.” “It is no secret that Scotland is a place that is very special for him,” Rosie says. There is the Lochnagar mountain close to Balmoral, which also inspired a children’s book written by the Prince in 1980 called The Old Man of Lochnagar. Strikingly, a huge proportion of the chosen works were painted in Scotland. As curator Rosie Alderton points out to T&C, it is the paintings that tell us 'of the Prince’s travels around the world,” the places he visited, but also “through the medium of watercolor how he feels about them.” In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can’t reach.”īut it is not his words that tell the most interesting story here. It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know. He also cites his “first sketches” (he is understood to have taken up painting in his 20s in the 1970s) declaring “I’m appalled by how bad they are.” So what kept him going? “You become increasingly aware of things that may have escaped your attention previously-things like the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape. “I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent! They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of ‘photograph album’ and, as such, mean a great deal to me,” a message on the wall reads. Offered upfront as you approach is some insight into what the Prince thinks about it all. A view in the South of France by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Charles prince of wales art work