Focus
The Prince of Wales's interests - painting with watercolours
1st August 2007
The Prince of Wales is an experienced watercolourist and has been painting for most of his adult life, whenever his official diary allows. The Prince paints landscapes in the open air, often finishing a picture in one go.
His favourite locations include The Queen's estate at Balmoral in Scotland, where Their Royal Highnesses usually spend their summer holiday, and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England.
Sometimes The Prince paints during his skiing holidays, and during overseas tours when possible. On this website you can view galleries of The Prince's work from Greece, Switzerland, Overseas and Scotland.
The Prince's interest began during the 1970s and 1980s when he was inspired by Robert Waddell, who had been his art master at Gordonstoun in Scotland.
In time, The Prince met leading artists such as Edward Seago, with whom he discussed watercolour technique, and received further tuition from John Ward, Bryan Organ and Derek Hill.
The Royal Family has a tradition of drawing and painting, and The Prince of Wales’s work first came to public notice at a 1977 exhibition at Windsor Castle at which other Royal artists included Queen Victoria, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of York.
The copyright of The Prince’s watercolours belongs to A. G. Carrick Ltd, a trading arm of The Prince’s Charities Foundation. The name uses two of The Prince's four Christian names and one of his titles, The Earl of Carrick. Click here to find out more about the title The Earl of Carrick.
Over the years The Prince has agreed to exhibitions of his watercolours and of lithographs made from them, on the understanding that any income they generate goes to The Prince’s Charities Foundation. Click here to find out more about The Prince's Charities Foundation.
Money from the sale of the lithographs also goes to the Foundation but the paintings themselves are never for sale.
On 17th July 2007, The Prince of Wales exhibited two of his watercolours at the Society of Caithness Artists 71st annual exhibition held at Thurso High School. Click here to read the story.