by The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a celebratory picture painted by their nine-year-old son Prince George, suggesting the future king could share his grandfather’s artistic talent.
William and Kate tweeted a picture of a reindeer in the snow with two robins along with the message “Merry Christmas!”.
Painting runs in the royal family, with the king notoriously having an artistic streak.
Charles has previously described how he finds painting so relaxing that it “takes me to another dimension.”
Earlier this year, 79 of Charles’ watercolors – the first full exhibition of his work in this medium – were exhibited at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, south-west London.
The atmospheric paintings featured Scottish landscapes such as the Huna Mill at John O’Groats and Glen Callater near Balmoral, as well as outdoor scenes from Provence in southern France and Tanzania in East Africa – one of his favorite places to paint.
In a display board, Charles revealed that the hobby “refreshes parts of the soul that other activities can’t reach” and that he turned to painting after finding little joy in photography.
The King admitted he was “appalled” by the quality of his early sketches.
He wrote: “I discovered very quickly how incredibly difficult it is to paint well in such a spontaneous medium, and the sense of frustration at not being able to bring to paper the image your eye presents to you , is intense.
“Now when I look back at my first sketches, I’m appalled at how bad they are. The nice thing about painting, however, is that you interpret the chosen view individually.”
He added: “I have no illusions that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent.
“Above all, they represent my special form of the ‘photo album’ and as such mean a lot to me.”
In October, a print of a watercolor by Charles by Balmoral sold for more than eight times its estimate.
It was probably the first time a print by a reigning monarch had been auctioned, and a private British collector paid £5,738.
Prints Charles has made in the past have typically fetched between £400 and £600.
The framed print of the castle in the Scottish Highlands, where the late Queen spent her last days earlier this year, was signed and dated in pencil ‘Charles 2001’ and was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Charles paints whenever his schedule allows, and he usually takes his prized canvas and leather painting bag with him on royal tours in hopes of finding time.
His interest – encouraged by his art master at Gordonstoun School, Robert Waddell – grew in the 1970s and 1980s when he was able to meet leading artists.
He discussed the watercolor technique with the late Edward Seago and received further instruction from professionals such as Derek Hill, John Ward and Bryan Organ.
An exhibition at Hampton Court Palace in 1998 to celebrate the Prince’s 50th birthday featured 50 of his watercolours, while the National Gallery of Australia exhibition in 2018 to celebrate his 70th birthday featured 30 works.
George’s great-grandfather, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was also interested in art and design, having mainly painted landscapes in oils, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
One such image seen on the Trust’s website is Duart Castle from the Sound of Mull.
It was painted during one of the Royal Yacht Britannia’s summer cruises around the Western Isles, the Trust said.
