Phillip Butah

Phillip Butah
Born1981 (age 44–45)
Forest Gate, London, England
EducationCentral Saint Martins College of Art and Design
OccupationVisual artist
Websitephillipbutah.com

Phillip Butah (born 1981) is a British visual artist. He has worked extensively with Charles III and Ed Sheeran, among others. He was the royal artist for Charles' state visit to Kenya in 2023.

Early life and education

Butah was born in 1981 or 1982 in Forest Gate, East London and attended St Bonaventure's. He is second-generation British-Ghanaian, as his parents came to Britain in the late 1960s. Butah studied fine art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.

Career

In 1998, at age 16, Butah became the youngest-ever winner of Young Artists’ Britain: The Prince of Wales's Young Artists’ Award, organised by the Prince's Trust, where he first met Charles III (then Prince of Wales). Ed Sheeran's parents organised the award, and he later illustrated Sheeran for his 2011 EP No.5 Collaborations Project and albums + (2011) and X (2014). In 2014, Butah released a book with Sheeran, titled Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey. Butah has also illustrated actor Ashley Walters and former Olympic sprinter Linford Christie in the past.

Butah was first invited to paint Charles at Clarence House in 2008. In 2023, Butah joined Charles and Queen Camilla on their state visit to Kenya hosted by President William Ruto, an experience Butah described as "life-changing". His oil on board painting Elephant Sanctuary, depicting Nairobi National Park, featured in a 2025 exhibition at Buckingham Palace, showcasing various pieces from Charles's royal tours. Butah illustrated Charles and Camilla for the June 2025 cover of Tatler to mark their twentieth wedding anniversary.

References

  1. ↑ Morton, Theresa-Mary; Rosslyn, Helen (19 July 2025). The Earl of Rosslyn (ed.). The Art of Royal Travel: Journeys with The King. Modern Art Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-1738487882. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Rosslyn, Helen (24 April 2025). "Happy and glorious: How Tatler's June cover celebrated the King and Queen with an exclusive portrait from royal artist Phillip Butah, as Camilla celebrates her birthday". Tatler. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Tamika (26 November 2023). "Phillip Butah Talks ... Fine Art". The British Blacklist. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ward, Victoria (4 November 2023). "'The King believes in people': how a budding artist ended up on tour with Charles and Camilla". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Sheeran, Ed; Butah, Phillip (9 October 2014). Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey. Cassell. ISBN 978-1844037940.
  6. ↑ Chilton, Martin (14 October 2014). "Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey, book review: 'sweet tale'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Elston, Laura (24 April 2025). "King and Queen's portrait graces Tatler cover after much-criticised Kate picture". The Standard. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  8. ↑ Meet The King's Tour Artists | 40 Years of Royal Art | Behind the Scenes Look at Life on Royal Tours. Royal Collection Trust. 6 August 2025. Event occurs at 00:14. Archived from the original on 18 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Sampson, Annabel (10 July 2025). "The King offers a never-seen-before glimpse into his travels through the eyes of his Royal Tour artists as 70 works from his private collection go on display at Buckingham Palace". Tatler. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  10. ↑ Jureidini, Ben (24 April 2025). "King Charles, a history in portraiture: From studies of a young prince to historic Tatler covers". Tatler. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2026.