The Palace Releases Never-Before-Seen Paintings of Prince Harry, Prince William, and More British Royals

In Room 32 of London’s National Portrait Gallery sits Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, a 2009 painting by Nicky Philipps. It’s the first official portrait of the two British princes, commissioned while they both served in the Household cavalry. Despite the formal dress, William and Harry are shown mid-conversation, eying each other with a comfortable informality that only two brothers could share.

Now, and thanks to Prince Charles, the public has a greater glimpse into how this portrait was made.

Before undertaking the official work, Phillips did two preparatory oil sketches of each prince. For almost a decade, they remained in the private collection at Highgrove, Prince Charles’s residence. But in honor of his 70th birthday, he’s putting them on display at Buckingham Palace.

They aren’t the only rare royal portraits being unearthed. A painting of the Queen Mother will also be on view. By artist Michael Noakes, the 1973 rendering shows her smiling, wearing Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee brooch. “I acquired it from the artist as I felt it brilliantly captured her likeness and, above all, reminds me of the essence of her personality. I admire it often when in residence at Clarence House,” Prince Charles says of the work.

There will also be a pencil sketch of Prince Philip from the ’80s. It shows the Duke from the shoulders up, sitting against a paneled wall.

The royal portraits will be joined by over 100 works of other art, personally picked by Prince Charles from both his personal collection and that of the Crown. The whole exhibition (on view July 21 through September 30) is called “The Prince and Patron”—an apt title, as Charles is known for his support of the arts as well as his impressive artistic anthology.