Picturing the future? Prince of Wales views a portrait of King Charles I as he attends an exhibition of the monarch's art collection at the Royal Academy

Prince, 69, attended Charles I: King and Collector exhibition at Royal Academy
Was given a private tour by curators Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Per Rumberg
Paused in front of a portrait of the king painted by Anthony van Dyck in 1633
Charles I was one of the most active art collectors in the history of the monarchy

Published: 21:05 BST, 29 January 2018 | Updated: 21:18 BST, 29 January 2018

e-mail

143

View
comments

He's set to ascend the throne one day, and art has long been one of his passions.

So Prince Charles no doubt felt a certain sense of the familiar this evening as he attended the Charles I: King and Collector exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The royal, 69, was given a private tour of the exhibition by curators Desmond Shawe-Taylor and Per Rumberg and paused in front of a portrait of the king himself painted by Anthony van Dyck in 1633.

Charles I was born in Fife, Scotland, on November 19 1600 and became king when he was 24 years old but his conflicts with parliament led to a civil war.

The Prince of Wales arrives to view the Charles I: King and Collector exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, central London.

The royal chats to curator Desmond Shawe-Taylor in front of a portrait of Charles I

The royal paused to admire a painting of his ancestor by Van Dyck, painted in in 1633

He tried to make the country use a new prayer book and MPs, including Oliver Cromwell, put him on trial for treason before he was found guilty and later executed on January 30.

Throughout his life, he was one of the most active collectors of art in the history of the monarchy.

His collection was sold off after his execution by Oliver Cromwell, but some of it was bought back after the Restoration.

This exhibition aims to reunite as many artworks as possible although some of his purchases were so important that the museums that now own them could never lend them out.

The Prince of Wales speaks with guests during his viewing of the Charles I: King and Collector exhibition

The Prince who is a descended from Charles I also shares a keen interest in fine art

Charles is getting back into the full swing of royal duties after enjoying an extended break over the Christmas period.

Last week, the Prince and his wife Camilla carried out a day of engagements in Cheshire, their first official duties of 2018.

The couple visited the Quarry Bank, a National Trust site based around a historic cotton mill and picturesque gardens, while Charles stopped off at Styal Primary School and Norcliffe Unitarian Chapel in Wilmslow.