Scheme to offer free portrait of King to public institutions sees mixed success
Fewer than 3% of the UK’s hospitals have accepted a free portrait of the King after more than 20,500 were made available following his coronation.
The scheme was launched in November 2023, and was billed as a chance to commemorate Charles’ reign.
It was offered free to public institutions by the last Conservative government, but the scheme has seen mixed success.
Cost
Take-up has ranged from 100% of Coastguard centres, to just 40 of the nation’s 1,454 hospitals – or 2.75%.
The second highest take-up was Lord Lieutenancies at 76.7%, while the second lowest was universities and higher education institutions at just 7.4%.
Only 25.5% of Church of England churches accepted the offer, despite the King being the head of the Church.
The total cost of the scheme was £2,710,705.50 with an average price of £131.81 per portrait. The total number of portraits commissioned was 20,565.
The portrait, showing Charles in the Royal Navy uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet, was taken by photographer Hugo Bernard at Windsor Castle last year.
Reminder
Earlier this year, then-deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said the portrait would serve as reminder of the example set by the King.
“His Majesty’s accession marked a new chapter in the history of our nation,” he said.
“Our public authorities and established churches are an essential part of the fabric of the nation and it is right that they have the chance to commemorate this moment.
“Displaying this new portrait also serves as a reminder of the example set by our ultimate public servant. Like his mother before him, The King has dedicated his life and work to serving others.”
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Free? It comes out of our taxes or Charles pocket?
Dowden, what was he on? What example is he on about? Accident of birth makes you rich beyond your dreams and we all have to bow? An example that the Duchy of Cornwall sorts you out as heir No1 and Duchy of Lancaster when you get the posh hat? An example that a 12 million go away court bill is lobbed around to protect the brand?
Yeah, we all have access to that.
I’d be interested to know which hospitals in Wales did and did not take one of these portraits just as I would be to know why some of our hospitals have Royal connected names and some do not. The do nots include Ysbyty Gwynedd, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Wrexham Maelor, Morriston, University Hospital of Wales and others. This should be the time we think about changing the names of Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess of Wales, Royal Glamorgan, Royal Gwent etc.
Given the dodgy backgrounds of some of the Royals, I think it’s best that they’re kept at arms length.
Pictures of byegone eras and silly costumes should be saved for museums.
Take-up of this offer of a royal photo would probably been very considerable in the first half of the last century, but I suspect that it doesn’t quite work the same way in the first half of this current one!
One can understand the refusal from hospitals to accept this portrait as exposure to it could induce severe vomiting in ‘at risk’ patients
Example you say. Born into privelidge, uses police and politics as his toy. Head of a church with sex crimes ongoing. And our tax pays for this propaganda. There isn’t much worse examples of humanity
Any info whether there are any spare. Are they a soft rolled up paper or on a rigid board ? What sizes are available ? I only ask because they might come in handy to patch up gaps in frames where draughts get through in winter and now we’re managing without the £300 WFA it’s time to conjour up all sorts of insulation remedies. At a push I suppose they could be cut up and put in the grate!
This feudal backwater has some very strange priorities indeed.
Well done to the refuseniks.
Auctioning off these portraits to the kind of people who pay £6m (or dollars) for a banana stuck on with gaffer tape would be a good way of recovering misused taxpayers’ money and raking in a huge profit whilst offsetting the clear scandal that it is.
He takes from the poor and gives back a little bit to the poor and we must be grateful.
I have been reliably informed (by ultra reliable sources) that Dafydd Ellis-Thomas has this portrait of his Majesty in every room of his house. In fact it takes him an hour or two to get out in the morning as he has to salute every one before leaving.
I’m further told that Alun Cairns also has a great many “snaps” plus a personal working model of the Prince of Wales bridge which lights up on Royal occasions and plays the National anthem on a tuba.
The patriotism of our former elected members is much underestimated.