The Making of a King: Prince George’s Promising Artistic Debut Extends a Hidden Royal Tradition

The publication of a colored-pencil drawing of a kingfisher by Prince George of Wales, second in line to the British throne, could in time be seen as the moment the young royal’s public personality first emerged.The drawing appears in a special 300-page edition of Country Life magazine released Wednesday and guest-edited by Prince George’s father, William, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. The colorful rendering was executed last year by Prince George, now 13, who began attending Eton College this September. The school has educated 20 of Britain’s 59 prime ministers — and Princes Harry and William.In 2022, the Waleses shared an earlier work of art by Prince George — a painting of a reindeer. That representation was based on a design by professional artist Hannah Dale, who gushed that her royal imitator had “obviously got talent. He has an eye for form and color.” Ms. Dale recognized her original “by the angle of the ears and the little robins.”Catherine, Princess of Wales, holds a degree in art history from the University of St. Andrews and in 2002 executed a watercolor of the school where she and Prince William met. King Charles III has been an avid watercolorist for decades. His personal residence, Highgrove House, offers for sale “a truly unique giftware collection featuring reproductions of His Majesty’s watercolours,” which purportedly capture a “very personal expression of the King’s love of painting.” The “Terrace Garden” Special Edition Framed Lithograph retails for $10,117.35. It is currently out of stock.The King has emerged as one of Britain’s top-selling artists. In 2018, The Telegraph reported that he had earned some £2 million from sales of his paintings, with all the proceeds directed to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. The King’s father, the Duke of Edinburgh, also worked in watercolor. One viewer of his work reportedly surmised that his style was “exactly what you’d expect — totally direct, no hanging about.”Queen Victoria, Prince George’s great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, was also a formidable watercolorist. She studied under such luminaries as Edward Lear and William Leighton Leach, and the Royal Collection Trust holds more than 4,000 works by her hand. The Trust says the works span the years “from 1828 to 1892 (when her sight began to deteriorate),” covering 64 years of her long life.‘Self-Portrait,’ by Queen Victoria, 1832 via Royal Trust CollectionIn his Country Life issue, which he reportedly spent six months crafting, Prince William discloses that his “favorite painting” is “The Fox in the Snow,” by Rien Poortvliet. The prince writes that “my mother” — Diana, Princess of Wales — “had this painting in our home and I remember looking at it countless times when I was growing up.” He recalls that “it hung in London,” but somehow always transported him to the countryside, where he “was longing to be.”Poortvliet, a Dutch illustrator who died in 1995, is best known for his series of illustrated books, “Gnomes.” The man who usually edits Country Life, Mark Hedges, reckons that “the Prince of Wales has been a formidable, hands-on guest editor” and that “his skills as a guest editor have been admirable, and the result is a glorious edition, which I am sure will be a sell-out.”Another student of art — after a fashion — is Prince George’s uncle, Prince Harry. Like the Princess of Wales, he studied art history for his A-level, or university entrance, examinations, though the Duke of Sussex attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst after graduating from Eton. Princes William and Harry have not spoken since the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022. The duke’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are seven and five years old.The appearance of the Waleses in the pages of Country Life could be an effort to draw attention away from the Sussexes, who returned to Britain in August after six years at Montecito, California. William has remained mum on his brother’s return to the realm, and Buckingham Palace has spoken only to affirm that the Sussexes’ “position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.” The father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested this week on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material.Editing Country Life has become something of a pastime for senior members of the House of Windsor. King Charles guest-edited the magazine to mark his 65th and 70th birthdays. Queen Camilla and Anne, the Princess Royal, have also tried their hands at the role.

The Making of a King: Prince George’s Promising Artistic Debut Extends a Hidden Royal Tradition

The Making of a King: Prince George’s Promising Artistic Debut Extends a Hidden Royal Tradition

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