He was a picture of sparkle and wit
ROYAL artist Ralph Heimans recalled the fun of meeting the Duke of Edinburgh when he painted his portrait to mark his retirement from public duties in 2017.
The Australian-born artist approached Philip because he was planning an exhibition at the Museum of National History in Denmark. He thought it would be a great addition because the Duke was born a prince of Denmark, as well as Greece.
Just 16 days later Heimans, now 51, found himself at Windsor Castle discussing art with
Philip, a keen painter himself, during a one-hour sitting.
“He was actually really fun to meet,” Heimans told Sky News. “He had a way of putting you at ease immediately. He walked in unannounced... He was very relaxed.”
He added: “He had an incredible presence and charisma. He was very impressive. The prince was 95 at the time, walked without a cane, he was upright, alert as ever, witty and sharp – it was a wonderful experience.”
They discussed their mutual love of painting and Philip’s family roots in Denmark. His grandfather, George I of Greece, was a Danish prince, born in Copenhagen, and his great-grandfather, Christian IX, was King of Denmark from 1863 to 1906.
“Philip was engaged with the ideas because I think his Danish roots were important to him and he understood what I was trying to achieve with the portrait... It was just a really great sitting,” Heimans said.
“I wanted him to look like somebody we could relate to because sometimes, when you’re wearing full military uniform with medals et cetera, it’s almost hard to access the individual.
“He was just a fun person to be with.
There was a sense of fascination and joy and of course I really wanted to capture that expression, a sort of nuanced expression, that sparkle and wit.”
He added: “He was very direct, he liked direct answers. I think that’s the kind of person that he was... and that was the way he looked at you.”