The Prince of Wales’s favourite works of art are to go on display during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace in celebration of his 70th birthday.
The special display entitled Prince and Patron will focus on Charles’s life-long passion for art.
Charles has selected more than 100 of his most-loved pieces from both the Royal Collection and his personal treasures.
They include an oil sketch of his mother the Queen, which usually hangs in the Morning Room of Clarence House, and 18th century masterpiece The Tribuna of the Uffizi by Johan Joseph Zoffany.
The heir to the throne is set to reach his milestone birthday on November 14.
Charles has also picked works by young artists supported by the arts charities of which he is patron.
In a specially recorded message for visitors to Buckingham Palace, the prince says: “I have always been captivated by the astonishing range of fascinating things in the Royal Collection that have been collected or commissioned by my ancestors over the generations.
“This is what, for me, makes the Royal Collection so special, representing, as it does, the unique craftsmanship and skill of the people who made them.
“As a result, I have long believed that it is vital to preserve and maintain such craftsmanship and this led me to set up three charities.”
The charities Charles refers to are The Royal Drawing School, The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts and Turquoise Mountain, all of which are represented at the exhibition.
His love of art, which was encouraged by the Queen Mother, has seen him become a keen watercolourist himself.
The Tribuna of the Uffizi by neoclassical painter Zoffany belongs to the Royal Collection.
Considered the German artist’s greatest painting, it depicts a group of aristocrats set against a backdrop of masterpieces.
It was commissioned by Queen Charlotte in 1772, but she actually disliked the finished product.
Zoffany was criticised for including too many figures, and according to one historical diary the Queen “would not suffer the picture to be placed in any of her apartments”.
Charles, however, is a fan of the intricate painting.
Among the selected works from the prince’s personal collection is an oil sketch of Queen Elizabeth II by Michael Noakes.
Bought by Charles in 1973, it usually hangs in the Morning Room of his London residence Clarence House.
Visitors will also be able to see Napoleon Bonaparte’s cloak, which was taken from his baggage train immediately after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and given to the future George IV by the Field Marshal who fought alongside the Duke of Wellington.
Charles chose to exhibit the felt and embroidered silk cloak for the compelling story it tells, the Royal Collection Trust said.
The prince has also selected an ink drawing entitled The Where That Was by Olivia Kemp and a watercolour, The Church in the Mountains by Sophie Charalambous, both representing The Royal Drawing School.
Patterned ceramic tiles by artist Ghulam Hyder Daudpota and paintings featuring Moroccan geometric designs by Natasha Mann will represent The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.
A one metre high lattice ball, carved from walnut wood by Naseer Yasna will represent work supported by Turquoise Mountain, which encourages the revival of artisan industries in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Burma.
Prince and Patron is part of the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from July 21 to September 30 2018.
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