Face of Bonnie Prince Charlie recreated using death masks

The prince was renowned for his good looks and has captivated a new generation of audiences through TV show Outlander
The face of Bonnie Prince Charlie, which has been recreated by researchers at the University of Dundee using death masks
Barbora Vesela/University of Dundee/PA Wire
Sami Quadri18 August 2023

The face of Bonnie Prince Charlie has been recreated using “death masks” and de-ageing software.

The prince was renowned for his good looks and has captivated a new generation of audiences through TV show Outlander.

A team at the University of Dundee’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification has now produced what is said to be the most lifelike replica of the prince’s face to be made so far.

It shows him with blonde ringlets, wearing a white shirt, and with blotchy patches on his skin, as he would have looked at the time of the Jacobite rising.

Death masks of the prince were painstakingly photographed and mapped by researchers, so 3D models could be produced with state-of-the-art software allowing experts to “de-age” him.

Barbora Vesela, a masters student who initiated the project, said: “I have looked at previous reconstructions of historical figures and was interested as to how these could be done differently.

“I wanted to create an image of what he would have looked like during the Jacobite rising.

“There are death masks of Bonnie Prince Charlie that are accessible, while some are in private collections.

“We also know that he suffered a stroke before he died, so that made the process of age regression even more interesting to me.”

In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart sought to regain the Great Britain throne for his father, exiled Stuart King James III of England and Ireland and VIII of Scotland, during the Jacobite rising, when he was aged just 24.

His army was defeated by government forces at the Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, in April 1746.

Bonnie Prince Charlie spent the next five months as a fugitive before fleeing to France. He died in Rome, at the age of 67, after suffering a stroke.

The work will feature as part of the University of Dundee’s annual Masters Show, which opens to the public on Saturday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT