King Charles takes down family portrait for heartbreaking reason

Queen Elizabeth II was thought to have been fond of the artwork, which was painted by the prestigious artist Andrew Festing.

As such, the painting took pride of place in the saloon at Sandringham, the Royal Family’s Norfolk retreat, for 25 years.

However, King Charles has reportedly never been fond of the painting, for it brought back too many painful memories.

“He didn’t like it. It was an unwelcome reminder of one of the worst years of his life,” a source told the MailOnline.

The gathering captured on canvas took place less than three months after Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.

In Festing’s portrait, Charles cuts a sullen and dejected figure, standing alone in the foreground with a drink in hand.

While Charles stares sheepishly and solemnly into the middle distance, many of the foreign monarchs, dignitaries and family members gaze in his direction.

Though Buckingham Palace are said to have declined to comment to the MailOnline, the publication quotes a royal source as saying: “From time to time, displays on the visitor route at Sandringham are adapted.”

In a speech to mark their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, The Queen said: “[Philip] is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”

Artist Andrew Festing was born in 1941, educated at Ampleforth College and attended RMA Sandhurst, after which he served in The Rifle Brigade.

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Festing painted frequently whilst in the army and took up full time portrait painting in 1981, after spending some time working for Sotheby’s.

A member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters since 1989, Festing served as President of the society from 2002 to 2008.

Festing was awarded an MBE for his services to art in 2007.

Festing has been commissioned by the Royal Family on a number of occasions;

On painting The Queen, Festing said: “When you paint someone like The Queen you have to change the way that you do things, so I did a sketch of the Queen and then transferred that onto the larger canvas, since you can’t really turn up at Buckingham Palace with a seven foot canvas.”