Prior to the restoration of the painting and due to its outstanding importance, it was decided to organise an International Symposium in which experts from around the world presented their experiences of restoring works by Titian and offered their opinions on the criteria that should be adopted with regard to the restoration of Charles V at Mühlburg. Work started on the painting in March 2000.

The aim of the restoration, which adhered to the conservation principles of the Museo Nacional del Prado, was to harmonise and tone down all previous damage to the painting with the aim of achieving a balanced overall reading, respecting its essential nature not only with regard to the pictorial surface but also its material structure. As a result of the restoration, many of the work’s original qualities once more became visible while the procedure also allowed for a detailed study of the painting’s creative process.