King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School

The King and Queen have marked 25 years of the Royal Drawing School with a reception at St James’s Palace.

The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression.

Among the contributors were artists David Hockney and Tracey Emin, filmmaker Tim Burton, designer Thomas Heatherwick and the King himself.

The King, who co-founded the school in 2000 with artist Catherine Goodman, praised its legacy in a speech to guests.

He said: “I thought Catherine was the ideal person (to start the school).”

“We owe her a huge debt of gratitude.

“Seeing the paintings and drawings today – you can imagine how proud I am.

“I’ve always believed in investing in talent for the future.”

Highlights include Hockney’s original charcoal pieces, Cut Trees And Timber Gone, and Burton’s untitled watercolour, a rare public showing of his work on paper.

Emin, who contributed a 2024 piece titled Because You Left – I Held On, told the PA news agency: “I think he’s a fan of my work.

“What I feel really good about is it’s for a good cause.

“King Charles has always loved and appreciated art and he’s an artist himself.

“It makes sense and it’s very appropriate.”

A standout moment from the evening came from Douglas Farthing, 58, a former Parachute Regiment soldier turned artist, who spent 16 months in Ukraine working with humanitarian teams.

His pencil sketches, drawn on the ground in and around Odesa, include portraits of civilians and scenes from the trenches.

“I retired and got into drawing through the school,” he said.

“When Ukraine happened, I spent 16 months out there with a humanitarian team.

“The King and I spoke briefly about it – he was very interested.

“He was my Colonel-in-Chief, so it meant a lot.”

Farthing, who has also worked in Gaza and South Sudan, said the school had been “brilliant” at supporting its alumni long after graduation.

Grayson Perry, who attended the reception and is set to feature in the anniversary talks programme later this year, added: “The Royal Drawing School is important.

“It’s human, in a world of AI, drawing is the quintessential thing about being a human.”

Also in attendance was singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who performed Hallelujah on piano for the King and also contributed a piece to the exhibition.

“This is my first exhibit,” he said.

“I waited for the right venue. What’s great about him is the world needs decent people – and he’s great.”

The King’s own contribution, a pencil sketch of the gardens at Highgrove, is also on show.

Founded as a not-for-profit institution, the Royal Drawing School offers more than 350 in-person and online courses a year, including its flagship postgraduate drawing year programme.

The Power of Drawing runs from July 1-26 at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, east London.

A wider public programme of talks, masterclasses and events continues into 2026.