Royal Salute
On Saturday 06 May 2023, as most of the world – or so it seemed – was descending on the part of London around Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, I was making my way to a hotel north of Oxford Street to get set up for a very exciting and unique commission.
As part of the Coronation pageantry, the Royal British Legion (RBL) provided 100 Standard Bearers and accompanying Parade Marshalls to provide a Guard of Honour on Parliament Square as Their Majesties The King and Queen made their way to and from the Abbey.
I was honoured to receive a commission to be on hand when the Standard Bearers returned to their hotel after the ceremony to take their portrait as a memento.
The Standards are the ceremonial heart of the RBL in communities. Each Branch of the RBL has one that can be seen proudly on parade on Remembrance Sunday and other significant commemorations. I wanted to recognise the significance of these Standards and the dedicated individuals who carry and maintain them.
In addition to the Standard Bearers and Parade Marshalls, a number of representatives of the Armed Forces Community were invited to attend the Coronation Service in the Abbey and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to make a portrait of some of them as well.
I was inspired by the work of the Old Masters painters (particularly Rembrandt and Caravaggio) who pioneered the chiaroscuro technique that embraces the interplay between shadows and highlights to create dramatic images with real gravitas. I was further inspired by the work of Royal and celebrity photographer Rory Lewis who is – to my mind at least – one of the foremost proponents of chiaroscuro in modern portrait photography.
I am delighted, then, to share with you the Standard Bearers and Parade Marshalls of the Royal British Legion, as a proud memento of their distinguished contribution to the Coronation of HM King Charles III.
