King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School
The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression.
King Charles
(Image: Tom Dulat, Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse )
The King and Queen have marked 25 years of the Royal Drawing School with a reception at St James's Palace.
The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression.
Among the contributors were artists David Hockney and Tracey Emin, filmmaker Tim Burton, designer Thomas Heatherwick and the King himself.
The King, who co-founded the school in 2000 with artist Catherine Goodman, praised its legacy in a speech to guests.
He said: "I thought Catherine was the ideal person (to start the school)."
"We owe her a huge debt of gratitude.
Article continues below
"Seeing the paintings and drawings today – you can imagine how proud I am.
"I've always believed in investing in talent for the future."
Highlights include Hockney's original charcoal pieces, Cut Trees And Timber Gone, and Burton's untitled watercolour, a rare public showing of his work on paper.
Emin, who contributed a 2024 piece titled Because You Left – I Held On, told the PA news agency: "I think he's a fan of my work.
"What I feel really good about is it's for a good cause.
"King Charles has always loved and appreciated art and he's an artist himself.
"It makes sense and it's very appropriate."
A standout moment from the evening came from Douglas Farthing, 58, a former Parachute Regiment soldier turned artist, who spent 16 months in Ukraine working with humanitarian teams.
His pencil sketches, drawn on the ground in and around Odesa, include portraits of civilians and scenes from the trenches.
"I retired and got into drawing through the school," he said.
"When Ukraine happened, I spent 16 months out there with a humanitarian team.
"The King and I spoke briefly about it – he was very interested.
"He was my Colonel-in-Chief, so it meant a lot."
Farthing, who has also worked in Gaza and South Sudan, said the school had been "brilliant" at supporting its alumni long after graduation.
Grayson Perry, who attended the reception and is set to feature in the anniversary talks programme later this year, added: "The Royal Drawing School is important.
"It's human, in a world of AI, drawing is the quintessential thing about being a human."
Also in attendance was singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who performed Hallelujah on piano for the King and also contributed a piece to the exhibition.
"This is my first exhibit," he said.
"I waited for the right venue. What's great about him is the world needs decent people – and he's great."
The King's own contribution, a pencil sketch of the gardens at Highgrove, is also on show.
Founded as a not-for-profit institution, the Royal Drawing School offers more than 350 in-person and online courses a year, including its flagship postgraduate drawing year programme.
Article continues below
The Power of Drawing runs from July 1-26 at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, east London.
A wider public programme of talks, masterclasses and events continues into 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Former Countess of Wessex on the significance of new title
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, described assuming her new title as "emotional" because it was previously held by her mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth II. She became Duchess of Edinburgh after King Charles granted her husband, Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh title in 2023, fulfilling his parents' wishes and recognising Edward's dedication to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. These remarks were made during her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide. Sophie commented on her role, stating she prefers to "fly under the radar" but acknowledges her increasing visibility due to fewer working members of the Royal Family. During her visit, she met mothers of genocide victims and delivered a message from the King, who expressed his regret at not being able to attend in person.
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Tennis star crowned 'sexiest alive' who suffered Wimbledon heartbreak now unrecognisable
Tennis star crowned 'sexiest alive' who suffered Wimbledon heartbreak now unrecognisable Pat Rafter was one of the biggest stars of the tennis circuit in the 1990s, winning two Grand Slam titles and reaching the final of Wimbledon twice - plus earning a unique title Pat Rafter found love with model Lara Feltham after becoming tennis' resident heartthrob (Image: Getty Images ) Pat Rafter has long abandoned the ponytail style that helped earn him the title of 'Sexiest Athlete Alive' almost three decades ago. The Australian emerged on the tennis circuit during the 1990s. He secured his place in the sport's record books with a landmark season in '97, capturing his first Grand Slam title at that year's US Open. Beyond the court, he became quite the heartthrob. His flowing hair, which he would tie back during matches, combined with his stubbled jaw and toned physique, was sufficient to earn him recognition from People magazine as the planet's most attractive sporting figure that same year. Like the rest of us, Rafter, who reached the Wimbledon final twice, hasn't escaped the effects of time. Though now 52, he continues to cut a dapper figure. His public outings have been sparse in recent years. He has occasionally worked as a pundit in his home country, while also taking on administrative roles with governing body Tennis Australia. However, he appeared at the Brisbane International tournament in December, participating in an exhibition match at the arena bearing his name. After removing his cap following play, he was spotted with a swept-back hairstyle whilst signing autographs for spectators, his hair no longer reaching his shoulders as it once did. Article continues below Rafter achieved iconic status by breaking his country's drought for a major title, successfully defending his US Open championship in 1998. "I was at a time where there weren't a lot of players around," he reflected in 2017. Rafter no longer has his ponytail aged 52 (Image: Getty Images ) "I came on the scene, I won a couple of Slams and then I was revered a little bit more than if I had won that back in the 70s. You would have just gone, 'There's another good tennis player from Australia.' Maybe the personality of the media made me into something bigger than what I actually was. That's OK." He narrowly missed out on victory at SW19, taking the lead against Pete Sampras in the men's final of 2000 before, by his own admission, "choking" after losing the second set tie-break. Sampras went on to win three sets to one. The Aussie icon was twice a Wimbledon runner-up (Image: Getty Images ) A year later, he once again made the final, this time facing Goran Ivanisevic. The Croatian triumphed in a five-set nail-biter, leaving Rafter once again as the runner-up. Article continues below After hanging up his racket in 2003, he settled down with former model Lara Feltham, tying the knot the following year. The couple have two children, Joshua and India, who are now grown up. These days, they can chuckle at how their father, who dated a string of Dutch models before finding love with their mother, was once so in demand. He famously joked: "You know what, it is exhausting being this good-looking."
Wales Online
3 hours ago
- Wales Online
John McEnroe urges Wimbledon to bring in ban live on BBC
John McEnroe urges Wimbledon to bring in ban live on BBC Wimbledon icon and BBC commentator was left unimpressed by this year's women's finalists and called for a ban one particular item ahead of Iga Swiatek's win over AManda Anisimova Wimbledon legend John McEnroe has called for a certain item to be banned in Grand Slam finals (Image: Shi Tang, Getty Images ) John McEnroe expressed his discontent as Wimbledon finalists Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova made their way onto Centre Court. Both athletes were participating in their inaugural SW19 final on Saturday but failed to fully absorb the atmosphere in McEnroe's eyes. The American tennis icon was critical of the fact both players appears to be wearing headphones as they made their way onto court, suggesting they weren't fully appreciating the moment. He observed both competitors listening to their own music, with Anisimova sporting airpods in the tunnel – though she removed them before stepping onto the court – and Swiatek donning headphones. McEnroe, 66, did not approve of this practice and advocated for a complete ban on headphones while speaking on BBC commentary: "They shouldn't allow them to wear airpods or headphones, because you have got to get them to enjoy this instead of playing some music. Come on now, ladies!" Many tennis pros turn to music as a strategy to soothe their nerves and manage the immense pressure of a Grand Slam decider. Champion Swiatek, who walked away with the £3million grand prize, has even mentioned that she listens to bands like Guns N' Roses and Led Zeppelin to get in her zone. Host Clare Balding and pundit Tracy Austin later mocked McEnroe over his own Wimbledon ban. The American was denied honorary membership to the All England Club after snubbing Wimbledon's Champions' Dinner so he could party with a rock band instead. Article continues below McEnroe controversially opted to skip the annual Champion's Dinner on the Saturday night following his 1981 victory. He swerved the swanky soiree at the famous Savoy Hotel and was denied membership as a result. Swiatek wore substantial noise-cancelling headphones onto Centre Court (Image: BBC ) He later recalled: "A week later they called my parents to tell me I was not going to be granted membership at the club. Big f***ing deal." In her defence, wearing headphones pre-match did not seem to hamper Swiatek's performance in the slightest. That's after the Pole made light work of Anisimova on Saturday and had her brush with Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, in the aftermath. She stormed to a 6-0 victory in the first set in what turned out to be a complete demolition job. And that marked the first bagel set in a Wimbledon women's final since Garbine Muguruza defeated Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 in 2017. The only thing more humiliating from Anisimova's perspective was the fact she repeated the feat in the second set. And with it, Swiatek celebrated the first 6-0, 6-0 result on this stage since Dorothea Lambert Chambers beat Dora Boothby without reply all the way back in 1911. McEnroe called for pre-game headphones to be banned so players are forced to fully absorb the atmosphere (Image: BBC. ) The first truly one-sided Wimbledon women's final of the Open Era couldn't have been much more dominant than Swiatek envisioned. The 24-year collected her sixth Grand Slam title and now requires only a trophy at the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam. Swiatek had traditionally struggled on grass courts, claiming four titles at the French Open and one at the US Open to date. She had also failed to win a title for more than a year and endured a rocky 2025 season to date. Article continues below The jury is out as to how much of a role the players' pre-match music choices played in the result. Though whatever Swiatek is listening to, it's working.
