The future king, 73, has described his love for painting, saying it is "one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises". This comes as the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, London unveiled the largest ever display of Prince Charles' work at the end of last year. Seventy-nine of Prince Charles' watercolours are being exhibited.

       This marks the first full exhibition of the Princes' work in this medium.

       The paintings depict close-to-home landscape scenes, including Glen Callater near Balmoral and the Huna Mill in John O' Groats.

       But they also depict landscapes further afield, including outdoor scenes from Provence in the south of France and Tanzania in East Africa - which is reportedly one of the Prince's favourite places to paint.

       Speaking about the hobby in a display panel, Prince Charles said painting "refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach".

       He said: You become increasingly aware of things that may have escaped your attention previously - things like the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape.

       "It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know.

       "In fact, in my case, I find it transports me into another dimension which, quite literally, refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach.

       "I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying.

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       "Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolour and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography.

       "I very quickly discovered how incredibly difficult it is to paint well in such a spontaneous medium, and the feeling of frustration at not being able to achieve on paper the image that your eye has presented you with is intense.

       "Looking back now at those first sketches I did, I am appalled by how bad they are.

       "But, nevertheless, the great thing about painting is that you are making your own individual interpretation of whatever view you have chosen."

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       But the Prince added: "I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent.

       "They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of 'photograph album' and, as such, mean a great deal to me."

       The exhibition, which appears in The Prince's Foundation exhibit space, began before Christmas and will reopen on Monday for an extended run until February 14.

       The curator of the exhibition, Rosie Alderton, said: "His Royal Highness has said before that he likes to sit in the actual environment and paint en plein air, and that, for him, taking a photograph doesn't have the same feel as a painting.

       "His passion for creating beautiful art is conveyed strongly in this exhibition."

       Prince Charles reportedly takes his treasured sailcloth and leather painting bag with him on royal tours, in an attempt to fit the relaxing hobby around royal engagements.

       His artwork has been displayed before, once in an exhibition at Hampton Court Palace in 1998 to mark the Prince's 50th birthday and once at The National Gallery of Australia's 2018 exhibition to celebrate his 70th birthday.