A 'paint'-brush with royalty

6th June 2023

Limited edition prints of watercolours by King Charles III are expected to make several thousand pounds when they come up at auction in Salisbury on Wednesday.

They include copies of four paintings of Highgrove House, the King’s residence since 1980.

The auction is being handled by Woolley and Wallis. Paintings specialist, Victor Fauvelle, explained how the limited edition prints first came to be sold: “The King began selling prints of his watercolour paintings back in 1997, to raise funds for The Prince’s Foundation. Since then they have helped to raise millions of pounds for charity and have made him, technically, one of the UK’s most successful living artists.”

The prints of Highgrove House reflect his love of gardening and the work he has put into the grounds of the property in Gloucestershire. The fifth print is of the Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother’s former residence in Scotland, where the King has long assisted with the Trust to preserve the gardens and local architecture.

Each print comes in its own leather presentation case and is one of a limited run of 100. The starting price of £300 is well below the original retail price of the prints and is hoped to encourage keen bidding on those wishing to own a piece of art by the King of England.

Further details can be found in our Modern British and 20th Century Art auction on 7th June.