A seven-year-old schoolgirl presented King Charles III with a hand-drawn portrait of him during a church service at his Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Thursday, expressing her gratitude for his role as monarch. Olivia Rickards, accompanied by her father Terence, handed the drawing to the King as he arrived at St Mary the Virgin church in the village of Flitcham. The portrait depicted the King smiling in a blue suit and tie, accompanied by the message: “Dear King Charles, thank you for looking after England, you do a wonderful job.” King Charles responded with a handshake and remarked, “At least I’m smiling in the picture.”
The encounter came amid a busy week for the monarch, who has been regularly portrayed in official portraits since his 2023 coronation. Notable works include a red oil painting by Jonathan Yeo, unveiled earlier this year, showing the King in the uniform of the Welsh Guards—a regiment he has led as colonel since 1975. In the same year, a naval photograph featuring the King decorated with numerous medals was distributed to public institutions across the country to replace official images of Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch and Queen Camilla also revealed their official Coronation state portraits at the National Gallery last year.
On the day of the church service, King Charles arrived in his Lotus Eletre, a £160,000 all-electric SUV purchased last year. He was accompanied by the Rev Canon Dr Paul Williams, rector of Sandringham, as he entered the church grounds.
Earlier in the week, the King met with newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Buckingham Palace, formally inviting him to form a government in a private audience. Two days later, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the inaugural Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Sandringham Flower Show, which the King officially opened. As patron of the RHS since 2024, King Charles arrived by horse-drawn carriage and presented awards. Emphasizing his long-standing commitment to sustainability and the environment, he displayed some of his own plants in a garden designed alongside award-winning designer Catherine MacDonald.
During the visit, the King engaged with members of the public, including a man who told him they were the same age, to which the King wittily replied, “It gets much worse, doesn’t it?” On the previous day, King Charles and Queen Camilla appeared at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, notably stepping out from the Tardis, a nod to the iconic British television series Doctor Who.