The Prince of Wales has been in Colchester - to have his tie reknotted.

A portrait of Prince Charles, by West Bergholt artist Richard Stone, hit the headlines after its regimental neckwear was revealed as incorrectly tied.

The painting shows the former colonel-in-chief of the Gordon Highlanders sporting a yellow and black knot, instead of the traditional all-black one.

Mr Stone, who is donating the work to the regimental museum, was told about the dress code faux-pas shortly after arriving in Aberdeen for the unveiling.

There was no time to correct it - and if the Prince noticed the mistake he said nothing about it.

Mr Stone said: "He likes it a lot, and describes it as wonderful, which is tremendous.

"He was as bemused as I was about the fuss that was made about the knot. He did not make any comment about it in his speech after the unveiling. He said it was remarkable, especially as I had had only two sittings."

The painter's blushes were spared by museum head Lt Gen Sir Peter Graham, who said the regiment's Second Battalion wore a yellow knot, while the members of the First Battalion had black.

The picture, he added, was met with a "gasp and a cheer" at the ceremony. Mr Stone will now correct the error aided by a correctly-knotted tie.

The portrait arrived from Aberdeen yesterday for Mr Stone to spend ten minutes putting the tie right. And then after consultations with a printing firm today, it will be winging its way back to Scotland for display.

The Prince had been able to spare time for two sittings, but happened to wear the tie for just the first - when the artist was concentrating on his face and creating an initial likeness.

"At the second, I transferred it on to canvas. But he had to leave immediately afterwards for another engagement, and his staff passed a tie on to me - but it was loosely knotted," he said.

A series of 350 signed limited edition prints of the portrait will be sold to raise funds for the museum.

Life is currently something of a whirl for the West Bergholt artist with forthcoming commissions including Australian of the Century, opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland in Switzerland and Lady Thatcher.

Knotty problem - Richard Stone with the portrait of Prince Charles

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