Prince George is the latest in a long royal line of talented artists

Résumé détaillé

An eye-catching kingfisher from a future King takes its place in the gallery of works by British royals, many of whom turned to painting and drawing to escape the pressures of palace and public life.

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As kingfishers go, it has a lively, almost raffish, quality. The feathers on the top of his head are spiked up like a punk’s, and his blue and yellow feathers look ruffled, as though he has just settled from flight. He has personality.

It is difficult enough to draw a kingfisher that looks even vaguely like its subject, let alone render it accurately and imbue it with character. So it is all the more remarkable that the artist in this case was just 12 years old: Prince George.

The picture of the bird appears in the latest issue of Country Life, which has been guest-edited by George’s father, Prince William. Mark Hedges, the magazine’s editor, says that he knew the illustration would “break the internet” as soon as he saw it.

“I had gone to see William at Windsor Palace, and we had discussed what he wanted to have in the magazine,” Hedges recalls. “Then in June I was sent this picture George had done in the Spring for inclusion. I looked at it, and I knew at that moment that it was going to be a big deal and that the picture would instantly go global. Not only because it’s incredibly good – and not just good for a 12-year-old – but because we don’t know that much about Prince George.”

Thanks to his kingfisher, we know a little more. In showing an interest – and aptitude – for art, George, now 13, is following a storied tradition, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, great-grandfather and dozens of other family members over many generations.

King Charles is an accomplished watercolourist and has often spoken about the peace he finds in focusing on a piece of artwork.

“Painting like this is almost meditative in the sense that you enter another world,” he told Royal Paintbox, a 2013 documentary about artists in the royal family.

He said he was originally inspired “to look and observe” by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was a keen art collector.

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