Paintings by Prince Charles, one of the UK’s most successful living artists

• Though he describes himself as an “enthusiastic amateur,” Prince Charles is reportedly one the most successful living artists in the United Kingdom.
• His paintings were first exhibited in Windsor Castle in 1977, next to the work of his other artistic relatives, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Edinburgh. 
• The prince favors outdoor scenes and only paints in watercolor. One of his favorite places to paint is the Queen’s estate at Balmoral.
• The Daily Telegraph reported that between 1997 and 2016, copies of his watercolors had earned as much as £2 million ($2.49 million), and the profits were donated to his charity, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund.

Prince Charles started painting in the 1970s, after he was inspired by Robert Waddell, his art master at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. 

He works exclusively in watercolor, and his paintings were first exhibited in Windsor Castle in 1977. They were displayed alongside works from Queen Victoria, herself an avid watercolorist, and the Duke of Edinburgh, a painter and designer, whose sketches helped create the stained glass windows in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle.

Following his first exhibition, Prince Charles continued to show his work, which became hugely popular in the UK and abroad. Though he modestly refers to himself as an “enthusiastic amateur,” he made an estimated £2 million ($2.49 million) from the sales of copies of his watercolors between 1997 and 2016, making him one of the country’s best-selling living artists, The Daily Telegraph reported in 2016.

The prince, who has donated all profits from his artwork to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, prefers to paint outdoor scenes, favoring mountains, streams, and the surrounding areas of the Queen’s estate at Balmoral. His works have been featured on stamps in the UK and even on a Swiss ski pass. 

Take a look at some of the prince’s paintings.