First official portrait of King Charles III is unveiled in London

The first official portrait of King Charles III has been unveiled in London.

In a touching nod to the monarch's late mother, it was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, a former QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - scholar, who attended the official unveiling of his work.

The portrait was commissioned by the Illustrated London News and will feature on the front cover of its special Coronation Edition.

Mr Barford - who also painted Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 - had just two weeks to complete the likeness.

While His Majesty did not sit for the portrait, Mr Barford was able to study him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in February held in support of global biodiversity, working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion.

In a touching nod to the monarch's late mother, it was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford (pictured with the portrait), a former QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - scholar, who attended the official unveiling of his work

The bracelet on His Majesty's wrist was presented to The King by the Amazonian leader Domingo Peas and was included to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King's advocacy on climate change and sustainability.

Mr Barford previously said: 'It was a terrifying honour. It's a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people. 

The artist told The Times that it was important for him to capture the 'warmth and sensitivity' of the monarch and the 'empathy which came across in his interactions'.

Mr Barford, who is from Bridgeport in Dorset and studied painting in Florence, birthplace of painters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, said he wanted to picture the King with a 'sympathetic expression'.  

Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of Illustrated London News, said: 'Illustrated London News has had a long tradition, dating back to 1842, of commissioning royal portraits for Coronation and Jubilee editions. 

'It is the first painting of The King where the artist has been able to observe the Monarch first hand. We are grateful for the Palace's support in making this happen.'

It comes as British stamps will feature the King's profile from today, but the late Queen's image is set to remain on our post for some time.

Charles's image, adapted from the design of artist Martin Jennings for use on coins by the Royal Mint, will appear on all new stamps with presentation packs on sale.

Mr Barford - who also painted Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 - had just two weeks to complete the likeness

While His Majesty did not sit for the portrait (pictured), Mr Barford was able to study him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in February held in support of global biodiversity, working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion

Yet the new tokens will not be sold at post offices and other retailers until stocks featuring his mother have been used up.

Royal Mail director of external affairs and policy David Gold said Charles has asked for existing stocks to be used, rather than destroyed.

He added: 'The King gave very clear directions he didn't want anything to be pulped, he didn't want things being shredded, he didn't want stock being thrown away.

'He was very clear however long it takes to clear the stock, there's no rush… entirely in line with his well-stated principles of waste and environmentalism.'

The new stamp features Charles's head and neck facing left, as all monarchs have done since Queen Victoria appeared on the Penny Black – the world's first postage stamp – in 1840.

Mr Gold said: 'The guidance we got from His Majesty was more about continuity and not doing anything too different to what had gone before.

'I think there's an acknowledgement that, for 70 years, people have been so used to seeing the image of Her Majesty – even through the current image only started in 1967 – they didn't want anything too different.'

The continuity sees the colours of the stamps remaining – plum purple for first class, holly green for second class, marine turquoise for large first class and dark pine green for large second class.

The bracelet on His Majesty's wrist was presented to The King by the Amazonian leader Domingo Peas and was included to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King's advocacy on climate change and sustainability

The portrait was commissioned by the Illustrated London News and will feature on the front cover of its special Coronation Edition

Mr Barford (pictured with the portrait) previously said: 'It was a terrifying honour. It's a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people.'

Mr Barford (pictured right, at the unveiling), who is from Bridgeport in Dorset and studied painting in Florence, birthplace of painters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, said he wanted to picture the King with a 'sympathetic expression'

The new first class stamp forms part of an exhibition at London's Postal Museum which runs until September 23.

The first stamps to feature Charles's silhouette went on sale last month, being in the corner of a special set that celebrated the nation's favourite flowers.

His mother's silhouette had featured on special edition stamps since 1966.

The final set using her image was unveiled in February on a set of stamps marking the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman.

The image change comes a day after a rise in stamp prices – first class increasing by 15p to £1.10, with second class rising by 7p to 75p.

Royal Mail said the rise was necessary to continue its one-price-goes-anywhere universal service.

Its chief commercial officer Nick Landon said: 'We appreciate that many businesses and households are facing a challenging economic environment and we are committed to keeping our prices affordable.

'Letters have declined by 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.

'We have to carefully balance our pricing against a continued decline in letter volumes and the increasing costs of delivering letters six days a week to an ever-growing number of addresses across the country.'