King Charles Unveils His First Portrait Since Coronation

Artist Jonathan Yeo and Britain's King Charles III at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. (AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo and Britain's King Charles III at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. (AP)
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King Charles Unveils His First Portrait Since Coronation

Artist Jonathan Yeo and Britain's King Charles III at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. (AP)
Artist Jonathan Yeo and Britain's King Charles III at the unveiling of artist Jonathan Yeo's portrait of the King, in the blue drawing room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Tuesday May 14, 2024. (AP)

Britain's King Charles on Tuesday unveiled the first official portrait of himself since his coronation last May.

The portrait by artist Jonathan Yeo depicts Charles against a background of vivid red hues, wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards military unit, with a butterfly just above his shoulder.

"Much like the butterfly I've painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject's role in our public life has transformed," Yeo, 53, who has previously painted Charles' late father Prince Philip, said in a statement.

"My aim was also to make reference to the traditions of Royal portraiture but in a way that reflects a 21st Century Monarchy and, above all else, to communicate the subject's deep humanity."

The portrait unveiled at Buckingham Palace was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales's 50 years as a member of the grant-giving body, The Drapers' Company, in 2022, the palace said.

Yeo's past subjects have included British broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough, Oscar-winning actor Nicole Kidman and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The oil on canvas artwork, which measures about 8-1/2 by 6-1/2 feet, is expected to be displayed at Drapers' Hall in the City of London - the capital's financial district - from the end of August, the palace said.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.