King Charles' first official portrait targeted by animal rights activists
The first official portrait of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, unveiled in May, has been targeted by animal rights activists. The portrait, the first to be shown since the King's coronation, was painted by artist Jonathan Yeo.
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According to reports in the British media, activists from the animal rights organization Animal Rising carried out an attack on the portrait, which is on display at the Philip Mould Gallery in London.
The activists pasted the face of Wallace, one of the main characters from the animated series "Wallace and Gromit," over King Charles' face and added a speech bubble to the artwork.
The speech bubble read, "Gromit, look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms."
In a statement released by the group, they claimed they had "redecorated" the portrait to draw attention to the cruelty inflicted upon animals.
'TIME TO CALL FOR THE TRUTH'
The statement, which pointed to irregularities on RSPCA-assured farms, included the following: "Charles has expressed his sensitivity to the cruelty against animals on farms. Now is the time to call for the removal of the RSPCA Assured scheme and to reveal the truth about animal farms."
The statement also emphasized that 280 illegal practices and 94 violations of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regulations had been identified on chicken, pig, salmon, and trout farms under the RSPCA Assured scheme.
The portrait, the first to be shown since the King's coronation, was painted by artist Jonathan Yeo.
Commissioned in 2020 to mark the then-Prince of Wales' 50th anniversary of his investiture, the portrait was first unveiled at Buckingham Palace in May of this year.