Stunning official portraits of King Charles and the royal family released

New official portraits of King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the royal family have been released by Buckingham Palace.

In a series of messages via social media, the Palace has released a number of official portraits taken by royal photographer Hugo Bernand immediately after the coronation over the weekend.

The first portrait shows off the new King seated and wearing full regalia - including the majestic Imperial State Crown. He is also pictured holding the Orb and Sceptre with Cross.

The King is looking straight at the camera and wears a neutral expression, rather than a smile.

The official portrait of the new Queen Camilla is a full-body-length photograph showing off her stunning dress and robes.

Her hands rest in front of her as she smiles at the camera.

The King and Queen are also pictured with members of the royal family - including the Prince and Princess of Wales and Anne, Princess Royal.

The final official portrait released early this morning, New Zealand time, is one of just the royal couple, King Charles and Queen Camilla.

The photographs are accompanied by a new message from the King, who acknowledged the support they had received in the last few days and during the coronation, in particular.

"As the coronation weekend draws to a close, my wife and I just wanted to share our most sincere and heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped to make this such a special occasion," the King's message read.

"We pay particular tribute to the countless people who have given their time and dedication to ensuring the celebrations in London, Windsor and further afield were as happy, safe and enjoyable as possible.

"Those those who joined in the celebrations - whether at home, at street parties and lunches or by volunteering in communities - we thank you, each and every one.

"To know that we have your support and encouragement and to witness your kindness expressed in so many different ways has been the greatest possible coronation gift, as we now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.”

He signed simply with “Charles R” - the R standing for rex, which is the Latin translation for king.

Before the release of the new portraits King Charles danced the night away alongside Queen Camilla at his history-making coronation concert.

The monarch, 74, and his 75-year-old wife – whose crowning at London’s Westminster Abbey, London, was held on Saturday – was seen moving to music by acts including Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That, in front of a crowd of 20,000 fans at Windsor Castle, and with millions of viewers in 100 countries worldwide watching the two-hour musical spectacular.

It also featured performances from Paloma Faith and appearances from famous faces such as Pierce Brosnan and Stella McCartney, whose dad Sir Paul McCartney performed at the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamon Jubilee concert in 2012.

Stella said the king has spent the last half a century “shining a spotlight on conservation and protecting our planet”.

She added: “His Majesty has been shining a spotlight on conservation and protecting our planet for 50 years now.

“He champions hope and action and in that hopeful spirit on this happy day the work of healing our planet should be and must be the cause that unites us, never the cause that divides us.”

Lionel Richie sang his much-loved ‘All Night Long’ classic as Charles and the Royals danced, while Katy performed her hit Roar as Princess Charlotte sang along with her mum Katherine, Princess of Wales.

Katy also dedicated her hit ‘Firework’ to Charles and the work they both do for the The British Asian Trust.

She said: “Thanks for having me. Thanks for bringing out the firework in so many young people.”

Charles got to his feet and waved a Union Jack as he danced along to Take That’s ‘Shine’ – which featured an introduction from The Choristers of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle – while his grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte were also on their feet waving flags.

Closing the whole concert, the trio sang their 1995-hit Never Forget as the audience joined in.

Take That closed the show with their ‘Never Forget’ song, with the music on the night backed by a 70-piece orchestra on a 95metre wide super-stage that was bigger than those used at Live Aid and the late Queen’s Platinum and Jubilee celebrations.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as their children Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince George, nine, were front row in the Royal Box on the East Lawn of the castle – but the royal couple’s youngest child, Prince Louis, five, stayed home as it was past his bedtime.

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also joined the party, while Prince Edward and Princess Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, flanked by children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex, joined the Prince and Princess of Wales in the royal box.

Other VIPs included British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, as well as deputy PM Oliver Dowden and wife Blythe and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria.

Prince Harry was missing as he left Britain after his dad’s coronation to travel back to his home in LA to celebrate his and his wife Meghan’s son Archie’s fourth birthday.

Listen to the final episode of Laura's Royal Tea here:

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission. Additional reporting by Bang! Showbiz