King Charles III (photo courtesy of the Northern Ireland Office)
For several decades, King Charles III has invited artists to accompany him during international visits. And now, starting July 10th, Buckingham Palace will open its doors to the public, showcasing several dozen of these works in a special exhibition.
The Art of Royal Travel is the name given to the exhibition, which is being curated by the palace and will go on display for visitors to the State Rooms. Over seventy works from the King’s personal collection will be displayed there, many of them for the first time. The exhibition’s curator, Kate Heard, described the featured works as a “testament to His Majesty’s deep engagement with and encouragement of artists over the past four decades.” The King first began inviting artists to accompany him on foreign visits in 1985, when John Ward joined him on a tour of Italy. Since then, the King has brought forty-two different artists on sixty-nine tours of ninety-five countries.
One of Ward’s sketches from that initial 1985 trip, From the Afterdeck of HMY Britannia, will be featured in this exhibition. More recent works to be exhibited at the palace include Richard Foster’s works created during the 2009 eleven-day trip across Chile, Brazil, and Ecuador. As Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Charles and Camilla visited the Galápagos Islands during this trip, as shown by some of Foster’s paintings. Furthermore, Phillip Butah created the painting Elephant Sanctuary in 2023 based on an excursion to Nairobi National Park that the King took during a state visit to Kenya. The most recent works are those created by Fraser Scarfe, who was part of the King’s entourage during his trip to Italy and the Vatican in early April 2025. Scarfe’s inclusion during the trip was particularly noteworthy, as he documented the tour with iPad drawings, marking the first time that the official artist has created digital art. The exhibition will also have an accompanying book, featuring illustrations and reflections from the artists who have traveled with the King over the years.
The Art of Royal Travel will be on display at the Buckingham Palace State Rooms between July 10th and September 28th.