To celebrate Prince Charles' 70th birthday, the Royal Collection Trust has put together a stunning exhibition, titled Prince & Patron, at the Queen's home of Buckingham Palace. The exhibition features over 100 works of art personally selected by the Prince of Wales himself, and amongst those, there is a very surprising addition. The first pictures of the exhibition in honour of the future King reveal a very special framed photo from the wedding of his son, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle, which can be seen placed on top of a dresser.
A photo of Prince Harry and Meghan leaving the chapel was selected
Surprisingly, the wedding picture that can be spotted is not one of the official four wedding photos the royal couple released after their nuptials, but a candid photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex leaving St George's Chapel after becoming husband and wife back in May 2018. Other artwork that will be on display at the exhibition includes special, previously unseen portraits of his two sons, Princes William and Harry.
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The portraits are described are preparatory sketches by artist Nicky Philipps. Also on display will be a detailed sketch of Prince Philip, drawn by Bryan Organ in 1983, and Michael Noakes's depiction of The Queen Mother from 1973. Charles has already started his birthday celebrations with a garden party at the Queen's London residence back in May, where Harry gave a loving speech about his dad, saying: "It is your selfless drive to affect change – whether that is to improve the lives of those who are on the wrong path, to save an important piece of our natural heritage, or to protect a particular species under threat – with which William and I draw inspiration from every day."
The celebrations will continue throughout the year for the Duchess of Cornwall's husband and the Royal Collection Trust will also be releasing souvenirs which include a specially painted coat of arms with the shield of the Duchy of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales's Red Dragon badge, and daffodils, the national flower of Wales. The range includes a tankard, tea cup and saucer, side plate and commemorative china gilded with 22-carat gold.
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The artwork is arranged on the walls of an octagonal room with tables filled with books by Charles, family snaps, vases and other decorative objects, while above are hung rows of paintings and other artworks, some with a tapestry as a backdrop.
Vanessa Remington, senior curator of paintings at the Royal Collection Trust, said: "It's a departure because it is not a standard museum display and the works aren't shown in isolation, they're shown in profusion very, very densely. (Tables) are dressed with a range of objects and those are intended to show or give a flavour of the interiors of the Prince of Wales's own residences because this is a very personal show."