A HEREFORDSHIRE artist who taught Prince Charles to draw has died at the age of the 89.

John Ward, who was born in Church Street, had advised the Queen and Prince of Wales on buying paintings and had been commissioned to paint the late Princess Diana and latterly Prince William at his christening.

He was a guest at Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981 and later taught Prince Charles to paint during several private trips. one on board HMS Britannia bound for Venice.

Spending the first 19 years of his life in Hereford, he attended St Owen's School and Hereford Art College before being accepted into the Royal College of Art, little knowing that around half a century later he would be the Royal Academy's second longest-serving member.

He remained loyal to his home county. Only two years ago he spoke of his opposition to plans to merge the city's art and technical colleges, saying the two would be "bad bedfellows".

He remained ever thankful to the city for the start it had given him in his career, saying: "Hereford has always had the generosity, optimism and faith to provide the county with an art school. To my dying day I shall thank the city fathers who enabled me to earn a living in the very odd world of art."

Around a decade ago, Mr Ward was made a Freeman of Hereford. His gratitude and affection for the city was expressed when he donated several drawings to the City Museum and Art Gallery.

In recent times, he was perhaps most famous for his decision to resign from the Royal Academy in protest at their decision to host its Sensation exhibition, which featured an image of Myra Hindley created from children's handprints.

His life was devoted to art - even producing paintings during wartime, when he served as a sapper in the Royal Engineers on the Kent coast and was one of the first on to the Normandy beaches on D-Day.

It was his time spent in Kent during the war that persuaded him to move there, where he lived until his death last Thursday.

A number of his family members still live in Herefordshire. Mr Ward is survived by six children - twin girls and four boys - the youngest of whom, Toby, is a keen artist himself.