Royal Fans Think King Charles's New Portrait Features a Surprising Piece of Women's Underwear

Commenters claim the alleged item "speaks volumes."

King Charles wears a gray suit and looks shocked while wife Queen Camilla wears a light blue suit jacket
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

King Charles and Queen Camilla recently unveiled new portraits in honor of the second anniversary of their coronation. The new paintings of The King and Queen were revealed at The National Gallery in London, where they will continue to be displayed until June, when the pictures will be moved to Buckingham Palace, via the BBC. But since the regal portraits were made public, royal fans have suggested that the painting of King Charles includes a very unexpected detail.

Artist Peter Kuhfeld painted King Charles's new portrait, in which the monarch can be seen wearing naval uniform and the Robe of State. However, some royal fans think they've spotted a woman's bra draped over the monarch's shoulder in The King's official portrait.

Responding to an article posted on Facebook by Tyla, one commenter wrote, "Is that a bra thrown over his shoulder?" Another fan wrote, "The bra on his shoulder speaks volumes." A particularly NSFW comment suggested, "It's the bra on his shoulder and the bondage ties on the bed post."

King Charles III looks at his official Coronation State Portrait, by artist Peter Kuhfeld, after unveiling it during a visit to The National Gallery, in central London, on May 6, 2025

King Charles III views his official Coronation State Portrait—painted by artist Peter Kuhfeld—at The National Gallery in London on May 6, 2025.

(Image credit:  CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The most likely explanation is that the object seen on King Charles's shoulder is part of his decorative clothing. But royal fans certainly love to analyze official portraits, and this isn't the first time a painting of Charles has been dissected by the general public.

In May 2024, British artist Jonathan Yeo unveiled an official portrait of the monarch, in which the royal could be seen surrounded by the color red. Discussing the unusual portrait, Yeo explained, via Hello!, "The only guidance they gave me was the specific scale because they had other portraits of that size." He continued, "And there was a preference for it to be in uniform, probably Welsh Guards."

Artist Jonathan Yeo unveils his portrait of King Charles at Buckingham Palace on May 14, 2024

Artist Jonathan Yeo unveils his portrait of King Charles at Buckingham Palace on May 14, 2024.

(Image credit: Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

As for why Yeo's portrait of Charles is almost entirely painted in red, the artist explained, "The red was inspired by the Welsh Guards, but I wanted the painting to be a little more contemporary and not get in the way of seeing the face and the personality."

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Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.