HRH The Prince of Wales: Watercolours

A special view of the world from someone who has seen unique things and can provide us with a peek inside a beautiful place! Thank you, Prince Charles!!

Had to buy this through Used Book Sellers and am very glad that I was able to still get this book. If you can get your hands on it-you will be glad you did. It's a treasure.

A treasure of a book...pure and simple! One that I enjoy and am very happy to have in my library.

This delightful book is a treat for those who have an interest in art, England, or for those who simply wish to understand the mind of Prince Charles a little better. Far more than any biography, this book will give you an insight into the artistic mind of the Prince of Wales, as well as enlighten you to the way he feels about the environment, his country, and the World beyond England. The book follows His Highness through his many travels hither and thither around the world, including his travels in Scotland, Italy, Spain, and the Middle East. There are 73 beautiful color examples of Prince Charles's work selected by him. For an "amateur", as the Prince so calls himself, his work reflects the fact that His Highness has put his all into these works, and he has tremendous talent in the watercolour medium. Each of the 73 color plates in this book also are accompanied by Prince Charles's personal experiences while painting the picture. Some of these experiences appear soul-stirring and patriotic; for example his painting entitled View of Double Haven Bay from HMY Britannia. Then there are some phrases throughout the book that are quite humourous. Such as this line from page 38.."I was sitting on a grass slope amongst a large quantity of sheep droppings with my back beginning to give out and with pins and needles in my bottom!" Similar examples of the Prince's humor are all throughout the book. He also addresses some of the problems he had along the way with his artwork, such as rain and the "gentlemen of the press" getting in the way of artistic expression! On the whole, this is a wonderful book that will inspire you with its artwork, and keep you laughing along the way as well with bits of Prince Charles's humor. His rather humble attitude towards his work is understandable, given his position in life. However, His Highness must indeed feel a hint of pride for producing such lovely scenes on paper. I only hope that Prince Charles will eventually publish more of his artwork, for it certainly deserves to reach a wider audience. I highly recommend this book. It is certainly a "must-read" in my library!