Michael Noakes

Painted from life, in preparation for the official group portrait commissioned to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1972, this rare portrait study of the young Prince Charles in morning dress depicts His Majesty at the age of twenty-four. This portrait marks the beginning of an unprecedented artistic relationship between Michael Noakes and the Royal Family which developed over nearly half a century. During his expansive career, Noakes painted a vast array of sitters, from prime ministers and presidents to actors and authors; however, he is arguably best known for his naturalistic and sensitive portraits of the Royal Family.

Noakes’ long association with the Royal Family began in 1972 when he was commissioned by the City of London Corporation to paint The Royal Family, a complex composition depicting seven members of the Royal Family and the Lord and Lady Mayoress of London [fig. 1]. Commissioned to celebrate the Silver Wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, it now hangs in London’s Guildhall Art Gallery: ‘I was thrown in the deep end in 1972,’ Noakes later recalled, ‘when I had to paint seven members of the Royal Family, the Lord Mayor and his wife in separate sittings in various locations.’[1] The present painting emerged as a study for this painting and depicts King Charles III, when Prince of Wales, in the same tailed suit as The Royal Family group portrait, festooned with a red flower on his left lapel. As an independent, and usually early portrait of the ‘King in waiting’, there is little to compare to this outside institutional collections.

Whilst Noakes was working on this commission, Charles was following in the footsteps of his father and continuing the Royal tradition of serving in the military [fig. 2]. After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1971 Charles attended the Royal Air Force College and, after passing out at RAF Cranwell, later that year attended the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. Painted during the same year that Charles joined his first ship, the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk, this portrait documents the young King at the commencement of his advancing royal duties; in following years, Charles would visit the Bahamas during its final days as a British colony (1973) and conduct his maiden speech in the House of Lords (1974).

Throughout the entirety of his career, Noakes continued to take portraits of Charles. During their sittings, Michael's wife Vivien would often read the Prince excerpts from Edward Lear and Spike Milligan, of whom he is a particular admirer.[2] This portrait captures a moment of quiet introspection within the young Prince’s otherwise busy schedule. In the final group portrait, he is engaged in conversation with his sister Princess Anne and the Queen Mother. Here, however, his distant gaze and slight smile offer more thoughtful and contemplative insight into the Sovereign's character. This portrait exemplifies Noakes’ deft ability to capture the humanity of those cloaked by royalty.

On account of his multiple sittings, Noakes developed a strong working relationship with the Royal family. During one of his many sittings with Queen Elizabeth II, Noakes recalled growing increasingly irritated with the number of disruptions and interruptions. Finally, exasperated beyond a point of containment, a further knock at the door prompted Noakes to cry out “What do you want?”. He was answered timidly by Prince Charles, inquiring if it might be possible to speak with the Queen.[3] Noakes was grateful that, in this instance, he may have been accorded more lenience than most others would have been granted.[4]

Noakes’ relationship with the Royal Family never faltered, and Charles continued to sit for the artist, including a highly ambitious full-length portrait in 1997 [fig. 3]. Noakes’ paintings hang in many important collections such as The Royal Collection, the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, and the House of Commons.

[1] M. Noakes quoted in M. Stewart, ‘The Late Michael Noakes’, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, 2018 [available at; https://therp.co.uk/the-late-michael-noakes/].

[2] We are grateful to Anya Noakes, the artist’s daughter, for this information.

[3] M. Noakes quoted in M. Stewart, ‘The Late Michael Noakes’, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, 2018 [available at; https://therp.co.uk/the-late-michael-noakes/].

[4] Ibid.