More than 70 works of art from His Majesty The King’s private collection, many of which have never been on public display, will go on show from tomorrow (Thursday, 10 July) in the special exhibition The King’s Tour Artists, as the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace open to visitors for the summer.
As well as the exhibition in the Ballroom, visitors to the Palace this summer will see the recently unveiled Coronation State Portraits of Their Majesties The King and Queen, newly installed in the Throne Room.
The King’s Tour Artists exhibition – which is included with a ticket to the Palace – and the accompanying book, The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with The King, celebrate the 40th anniversary of His Majesty’s Tour Artists initiative. Today, Their Majesties The King and Queen have toured the exhibition during a reception to mark the anniversary, joined by more than 30 of the artists who have travelled with them over four decades.
Since 1985, The King has invited a series of artists, at his own expense, to join him on royal overseas tours, with a brief to draw, paint or sculpt whatever inspired them. Reflecting His Majesty’s enduring support for the arts, the initiative has provided both established and emerging artists with a prestigious commission and a chance to create work in response to diverse cultures and landscapes around the world.
Chosen from a selection handpicked by The King from his own collection, the works on display in the Palace’s Ballroom represent 43 artists, who collectively have visited 95 countries and regions during 70 tours. Together, they offer a unique insight into life on a royal tour, capturing the tone, colours and atmosphere with a vibrancy that brings each destination to life. The accompanying book further explores this special royal tradition through a series of behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reflections from the artists, alongside more than 100 illustrations.
Visitors to the exhibition will see both the earliest and most recent works created by The King’s tour artists, both produced in Italy. The earliest is From the Afterdeck of HMY Britannia by John Ward, the inaugural tour artist. Ward’s painting is shown alongside a depiction of the same scene painted by His Majesty, who on earlier tours would often find time amidst his busy schedule to sit and paint alongside the artists.
In April 2025, Fraser Scarfe became the first tour artist to create digital artwork on an iPad, when he joined Their Majesties’ State Visit to Italy. Visitors will see his work Basilica of San Vitale, on show for the first time, in which he was able to capture the full range of colours found in the Ravenna church’s famous mosaics while only needing to carry a small device.
John Ward’s son Toby Ward followed in his father’s footsteps, joining His Majesty on a tour of the Gulf States in 1993. On display in addition to one of his sketchbooks is a new work that he has created specially to celebrate the 2025 anniversary: an illustrated map of the world depicting scenes captured by the tour artists over the decades. This watercolour also features as the endpapers in the book The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with The King.
On display for the first time is a pair of portraits of The King and Queen when Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, painted by James Hart Dyke following a tour to the Gulf States in 2007. Visitors will also see Hart Dyke’s colourful painting of prayer flags at the Taktsang monastery, captured during a 1998 tour to Bhutan. The artist painted the flags while sitting alongside the then Prince of Wales, the pair having trekked up 1,500 feet (457 m) to paint together at the famed cliffside monastery, also known as the Tiger’s Nest.
Further highlights include a drawing by Claudette Johnson made after the first official royal visit to Rwanda in 2022; Peter Kuhfeld’s peaceful depiction of a Japanese tea-ceremony room, made during a trip to Japan for the enthronement of Emperor Akihito in 1990; and Michael J. Austin’s striking head study of a man he encountered in Rajasthan during the 2003 tour to India and Oman. A terracotta head by the only sculptor ever to have been chosen as a tour artist, Marcus Cornish, is a powerful depiction of a war veteran met by the royal party during a visit to Slovakia in 2000.
In the Palace’s Throne Room, visitors will be among the first to see the recently installed Coronation State Portraits of Their Majesties The King and Queen in their permanent home, following their initial month-long display at the National Gallery. Painted by Peter Kuhfeld and Paul S Benney respectively, the portraits join an important tradition of Coronation State Portraits dating back many centuries, with historic examples including the State Portraits of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and George III also on display.
A visit to the State Rooms can be combined with a Garden Highlights Tour, which incorporates areas of the Garden not usually seen by the public, including the Herbaceous Border, the Summer House, the Rose Garden, the Waterloo Vase and the Palace tennis court. In addition, almost 9,000 people will add a tour of the Palace’s iconic front wing to their State Rooms visit this summer, as part of the sold-out series of East Wing Highlights Tours, first launched in 2024 and expanded for 2025.
A Royal Day Out ticket provides discounted admission to all three venues at Buckingham Palace: the State Rooms, the Royal Mews, and The King’s Gallery, where visitors can immerse themselves in the opulence and glamour of the Edwardian era in the major exhibition The Edwardians: Age of Elegance.
A range of concessions is available for the summer opening of Buckingham Palace, including a Young Person (18–24) discount and half-price entry for children (5–17), while under-fives go free. Visitors who purchase their tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, offering free re-admission for a year. The income from ticket purchases contributes to the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.
