King Charles' New Royal Portrait Mercilessly Roasted Online As 'Satanic' And 'Grim'

King Charles III's new royal portrait has been heavily scrutinized by online critics since he unveiled the image at Buckingham Palace.

The portrait features a majestic painting of the British monarch almost entirely covered with fiery red paint while donning the red uniform of the Welsh Guards.

The image has since gone viral, with some people branding it as "satanic" and others claiming it depicts Charles in hell.

On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace released a video clip of King Charles unveiling his new royal portrait, which is the first official completed portrait of the monarch since his coronation.

The artwork was created by well-known artist Jonathan Yeo and commissioned in 2020 to mark the then-Prince of Wales's 50 years as a member of The Drapers' Company.

Besides the powerful red color that dominates the entire image, a butterfly is painted next to Charles' face. According to the artist Yeo, the butterfly signifies the King's "metamorphosis" from the Prince of Wales to the head of the British monarchy.

Yeo also spoke about his process of creating "a good portrait," noting: "People often say is there a secret to doing a good portrait? And I say I don't know, really. Actually I think there is one, and that's having an interesting subject to start with. And you couldn't ask for a better one than this, other than Her Majesty."

The artist previously painted portraits of Camilla, then known as the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2014 and the late Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 2008.

Charles' portrait has raised eyebrows online due to the heavy use of red paint, with many netizens branding it "satanic."

People on X (formerly Twitter) have also claimed that the image depicts "the end of a vicious and brutal imperial monarchy."

Another person stated, "KingCharles new portrait is absolutely fecking hideous, looks like he is burning in hell."

"I unironically love the new KingCharlesportrait because of how evil it looks. Archdemon of hell a-s portrait" tweeted a third individual.

"No offense, but that is a very grim portrait," another X user commented.

"In the colour of blood. Very on brand," said a fifth person, while another asked, "Satan, is that you?"

A royal fan even claimed that the portrait depicts the monarchy with "blood on its hands."

They noted, "To me, and I love the royal family and England, I interpret that as the monarchy having blood on its hands from a century of colonialism. I don't think it's right."

According to the DailyMail, Yeo had four sittings with the British monarch during the process of crafting the royal portrait.

The first sitting was when Charles was the Prince of Wales in June 2021 at Highgrove and then at Clarence House. The final sitting was also at Clarence House in November last year.

While speaking about working on the project, Yeo 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."

He added, "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."

Yeo further noted in his statement on the piece that he does his best to "capture the life experiences 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," Yeo added, per DailyMail.

He concluded, "I'm unimaginably grateful for the opportunity to capture such an extraordinary and unique person, especially at the historic moment of becoming King."

The artwork will be on public exhibit at the Philip Mould Gallery in London, with free entry, starting on Thursday and lasting through June 14th.

According to the news outlet, the new image of the King is expected to eventually be displayed at The Drapers Hall from the end of August this year.

In addition to the Royal Family, Yeo has painted other notable figures, including activist Malala Yousafzai, Hollywood star Nicole Kidman, and Sir David Attenborough.