Why King Charles's art really does belong in the Royal Scottish Academy

Queen Camilla visits the Chaos and Control, Printmaking in Scotland Now exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh (Picture: Steve Welsh/WPA pool) | Getty Images

King Charles was once described as “one of Britain’s most successful living artists” on account of his print sales. It’s fair to say this sparked debate among artistic types, with one critic surely flirting with treason by huffily concluding: “They are not awful. They are merely ordinary – and obviously amateur.” Ouch.

However, our monarch is, we would patriotically contend, a better painter than former US President George W Bush – and his work has been praised by New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz as bordering on the “visionary”. Perhaps American critics are just more likely to cheer someone on, than seek to drag them down.

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Whatever the professionally sniffy may say, there’s no disputing that Charles’s work is popular. So Queen Camilla’s suggestion, during a visit to the Royal Scottish Academy, that “one of these days perhaps we could bring a few of his paintings here” sounds like a great idea.

Gareth Fisher, the RSA’s president, sensibly told her the gallery would “love” to have a Scottish landscape, and we really hope it happens. Royal art in a royal academy would only enhance the appeal of both.