Harry and Meghan issue defiant statement as King Charles unveils official portrait

The King has unveiled the first completed official portrait of himself since the coronation, which includes one detail Charles suggested should be added.

The portrait, by British artist Jonathan Yeo, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022.

The portrait, which was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon at Buckingham Palace, depicts Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975.

The ‘Megmania’ witnessed during the Sussexes’ tour of Nigeria suggests that their blueprint – to be ‘half-in, half-out’ royals – had merit, says Sean O’Grady:

It may not have been an official “royal visit”, but anyone watching the coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visiting Nigeria, in aid of the Invictus Games and its charitable foundation, could have been forgiven for thinking that it was.

The pair have some celebrity and fame, and no one, leastways outside palace circles, seems all that fussed about whether the pair are classified as “working” or “non-working” royals: “Megmania” gripped this part of west Africa, in any case. Harry is a Prince, his wife is a duchess, his dad is the king and head of the Commonwealth, and no amount of alienation or briefing can alter that. In Lagos State, he was given a prince’s welcome.

The ex-working royals have been on a whistle-stop PR tour of Nigeria – but it was the Duchess of Sussex revealing she was ‘missing her babies’ that pushed Caroline Brown over the edge. You wouldn’t catch the late Queen doing it…

Clearly, Harry and Meghan are great parents and are extremely proud of their children. But as a proud mother myself, who also has to travel away from home, the idea of missing my kids (while true) is not something I make a huge song and dance about – especially not when I’m at work.

The King has become patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), following in the footsteps of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Reigning monarchs have traditionally served as the figurehead for the lifesaving charity since it was founded in 1824, with George IV its first patron.

The announcement, which coincides with its 200th anniversary, comes after a major review of more than 1,000 royal patronages conducted by the Royal Household following the late Queen’s death.

Author Dame Jilly Cooper has described receiving a royal honour from the King as “orgasmic”.

The 87-year-old also named The Common Years as her favourite piece of work she has written, after being made a dame for her services to literature and charity on Tuesday.

She is chiefly known for her Rutshire Chronicles, which focus on scandal and adultery in upper-class society and an aristocratic character called Rupert Campbell-Black.

The Duke of Kent joined the last surviving widow of a lifeboat disaster to lay a wreath in remembrance of the five men who died.

Edward, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and president of the RNLI, laid the tribute at the lifeboat station in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, with Pat Owen, whose husband James Buchan died in the Fraserburgh lifeboat disaster more than half a century ago.

The Fraserburgh lifeboat, the Duchess of Kent, capsized in gale-force winds on January 21 1970 while escorting another vessel to safety.

Prince Harry spoke movingly about mental health while visiting a school in Nigeria on Friday – telling students that there is “no shame” in having a bad day.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, opened up about the bereavements he has suffered in his life, telling the young people that it is okay to acknowledge difficult feelings.

“There is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day,” he said.

“If you woke up this morning feeling sad, if you left school feeling stressed, if you’ve lost a loved one in your family who you usually turn to or speak to, all of these things you may be led to believe are not for conversation.

“We are here today to tell you that is not the case.”

The presenter and former host of Capital Radio’s Breakfast Show has become known as a vocal advocate for men’s mental health in recent years, fronting awareness campaigns and documentaries.

His 2021 film Our Silent Emergency, which explores the urgent issue of young men’s mental health and the prevalence of male suicide, was met with acclaim and is now shown to children in schools.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation is no longer listed as “delinquent” by California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.

On Monday the charity was listed as “delinquent” and a delinquency notice letter was sent to the foundation on May 3 for “failing to submit required annual report(s) and/or renewal fees”, but on Tuesday the status of Archewell Foundation had been changed to “current”.

The letter had warned that an organisation listed as delinquent is banned from “soliciting or disbursing charitable funds” and “its registration may be suspended or revoked by the registry”.

On Tuesday, a statement from California’s Department of Justice said the Archewell Foundation is “current and in good standing”.

A spokesperson for California’s Department of Justice said: “After being in touch with our Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, the organisation is current and in good standing.”

The PA news agency understands the issue arose from a payment which was thought to have been sent but was said to have not been received. However, new records show the required payment was sent last year and was delivered on schedule.

The Archewell Foundation said after investigating that it found payments were made “promptly” and all paperwork was filed “without error or wrongdoing”.

British artist Jonathan Yeo had four sittings with the King for his new portrait, beginning when Charles was Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove, and later at Clarence House. The last sitting took place in November 2023 at Clarence House.

Mr Yeo worked from drawings and photographs he took of the King, allowing him to work on the portrait in his London studio between sittings.

He said: “It was a privilege and pleasure to have been commissioned by The Drapers’ Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty The King, the first to be unveiled since his coronation.

“When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I’ve painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.

“I do my best to capture the life experiences etched into any individual sitter’s face. In this case, my aim was also to make reference to the traditions of royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st-century monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject’s deep humanity.

“I’m unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King.”

Mr Yeo has also previously produced commissions of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Camilla, Sir Tony Blair and Lord David Cameron.