King Charles and Queen Camilla are attending a reception today at Buckingham Palace to mark four decades of artists accompanying the Royal Family on official overseas visits, celebrating a unique tradition that has documented royal diplomacy through creative works rather than just photographs.
The event honors an artistic initiative that has seen 43 artists join the King on 70 official visits spanning 95 countries and regions since 1985. Their Majesties will view the King’s Tour Artists exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow as part of the palace’s summer opening.
The specially curated display features 74 works, many never publicly displayed before, offering visitors unprecedented access to the King’s personal collection. Among the pieces is a watercolour painted by the King himself during the very first artist-accompanied tour to Italy in 1985.
Personal Patronage Spanning Four Decades
The King has personally selected and funded each artist over the past four decades, initially as the Prince of Wales. Following each tour, His Majesty has acquired at least one work for his private collection, supporting these travelling artists through direct patronage.
Upon arriving at the Palace Ballroom, their Majesties will meet Toby Ward, son of John Ward who became the first artist to join the then Prince of Wales on that inaugural 1985 Italy visit. Toby Ward, also an artist, will present a specially commissioned endpaper he created for the accompanying anniversary book “The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with the King.
The initiative has offered both established and emerging artists opportunities to undertake unique commissions during concentrated periods of work abroad. This longstanding patronage reflects the King’s commitment to supporting the arts whilst creating an alternative visual record of royal visits.
Digital Evolution of Royal Art
The exhibition features several notable works, including a piece by Fraser Scarfe who joined their Majesties’ State Visit to Italy in April 2025. Scarfe became the first tour artist to create digital artwork using an iPad, marking a technological evolution in the tradition.
Around 35 tour artists will discuss their work with the King and Queen during today’s reception. Among them is Warwick Fuller, who has served as a tour artist four times including the recent Australia and Samoa State Visit in 2024.
Other artists attending include Phillip Butah, winner of the Prince of Wales’s Young Artists’ Award who documented the 2023 Kenya State Visit, and Colin Watson from Belfast who covered the 2008 Brunei and Indonesia tour.
Connecting Past and Present
Peter Kuhfeld, who travelled to Japan for Emperor Akihito’s enthronement in 1990 and recently painted the King’s Coronation State Portrait, will also be present at the reception.
Kate Heard, curator of the exhibition, praised the initiative: “This fascinating group of works tells the story of 40 years of official travel and artistic patronage. The freedom given to each artist to capture a personal impression of the countries visited has led to the formation of a rich and varied collection.”
The Earl of Rosslyn, who edited the accompanying book, noted that artists “were united in gratitude for the memorable artistic adventure it represented, knowing also that they were working for someone in sympathy with the artistic craft, a patron of the arts and a passionate advocate for cultural life.”
Record-Breaking Summer Opening
The exhibition forms part of this year’s summer opening at Buckingham Palace, which follows a record-breaking 2024 when 605,190 paid visitors attended – the highest number in the history of summer openings.
Visitors will also see the recently unveiled Coronation State Portraits of their Majesties in the Throne Room. Peter Kuhfeld painted the King’s portrait whilst Paul S. Benney created the Queen’s, both now newly installed for public viewing.
The Royal Collection Trust, which manages the summer opening, uses ticket income to care for and conserve the Royal Collection. The exhibition showcases works encompassing landscapes, figure studies and still life subjects from across the globe.
Documenting Royal Diplomacy
Notable pieces include Susannah Fiennes’ work from the 1997 Hong Kong handover when Charles represented Queen Elizabeth II, Paul Reid’s captures from the 2004 tour to Italy, Turkey and Jordan, and Luke Martineau’s paintings from royal visits.
The most recent addition is Warwick Fuller’s “Waratah and Eucalyptus, Australian National Botanic Gardens,” created during the 2024 royal tour to Australia.
The initiative began when the then Prince of Wales invited artist John Ward to join an official visit to Italy at his own expense. Ward, who never carried a camera but always a small sketchbook, created “From the Afterdeck of HMY Britannia” during that pioneering tour.
Public Access to Royal Collection
The King’s Tour Artists exhibition will remain on the public visitor route throughout the summer season, running from July 10 to September 28, 2025, allowing guests to experience this unique artistic documentation of four decades of royal diplomacy.
Access to the exhibition is included in the standard entry to Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms, where visitors can also admire masterpieces by Rembrandt and Rubens, and explore famous ceremonial spaces including the Throne Room and the Ballroom where today’s reception is being held.
This longstanding artistic tradition offers an intimate glimpse into the landscapes, cultures and people encountered by the Royal Family during their diplomatic missions, providing an alternative visual record that complements official photography and documentation of royal visits worldwide.
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Image Credit:
Prince Charles and Camilla at Waitangi – Photo by New Zealand Government, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
