Bonnie Prince Charlie: Does newly discovered portrait reveal he wasn't as bonnie as we've all been led to believe? – Scotsman comment

Engraving thought to have been made in 1746 contrasts with other paintings of the Jacobite prince

Name a well-known figure who can be described as “bonnie”. If you didn’t say “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, then unfortunately you’ve rather undermined the point we’re about to make. Over the years, the word has become so commonly attached to his name that it is now virtually part of it.

However, a newly discovered portrait might just undermine this historic description. It was found when the ‘Highlander Portrait’ was x-rayed to reveal an engraving beneath, which is believed to have been made in Inverness in 1746. It is thought the original image may have been adapted in the 19th century to make Charlie look a bit “bonnier”.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The 19th century’s idea of who is handsome may not conform with the consensus of opinion in the 18th or the 21st century. And perhaps the engraving failed to capture his best side. But if the Young Chevalier really was in need of ‘bonnification’, then it is a PR triumph of historic proportions to have convinced the world he was actually the personification of good looks.