King Charles III's Watercolour Commands £17,000

In a momentous event at Clevedon Salerooms' Spring Fine Art Sale, an original watercolour by His Majesty King Charles III gathered considerable attention and admiration, ultimately selling for £17,000. This highlighted watercolour, an unsigned and incomplete study of Lochnagar, gained prominence through its appearance in 1993 BBC Wales production, 'The Legend of Lochnagar,' where in a charming moment, His Majesty is captured working on the painting amidst a group of children.

It was originally offered to the vendor, a member of the production team, as a souvenir at the end of the day’s filming. The watercolour then went on to spend the next thirty years hanging on their landing in South Wales. When a decision was made to sell the painting, Clevedon Salerooms was delighted to be chosen to help find it a new home.

Estimated at £10,000 to £15,000, a flurry of bids saw it rapidly achieve and then surpass its guide price. After a spirited contest between a London-based telephone bidder and a local private buyer in the room, it was the latter who aced it with the hammer falling at £17,000 (£20,800 including buyer’s premium).

After the sale, Managing Director Marc Burridge of Clevedon Salerooms said, “This was a rare opportunity to purchase a historically significant work by His Majesty, which is reflected in the remarkable price it achieved. The purchaser intends to hang it in his home and views it as a ‘long-term investment’.”

Delighted with the outcome, the vendor plans to put the proceeds from the sale towards buying a more contemporary artwork to fill the gap on the wall.

Strategic marketing of the watercolour generated substantial interest from both local and national media, including features in the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, and Daily Mail, as well as coverage on the BBC and ITV and signifies the enduring appeal of royal artistry.