UK Government extends £8 million scheme offering free portrait of the King
An £8 million UK Government-funded scheme offering public authorities the chance to claim a free portrait of the King, has been extended.
Hospitals, coastguard operations centres, job centres, universities, Church of England churches and other public institutions can now apply to have a free official portrait of the King.
They will be able to claim the free framed image from June 5 to mid-August as the UK Government’s King’s Official Portrait Scheme is extended to include more public institutions.
Essential
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden 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.”
Charles is pictured in full regalia inside Windsor Castle wearing his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet and an abundance of official medals and decorations.
He was captured last year by photographer Hugo Burnand, who also took the King and Queen’s coronation portraits and their 2005 wedding photos.
A serious-looking Charles stands in the royal residence’s Grand Corridor as he rests his right hand on his pristine white gloves on an antique table and grasps a sword with his left.
Shameful
Graham Smith of anti-monarchy campaign Republic said: “This is a shameful waste of money. At a time when a majority of local councils are raising taxes and cutting public services, when schools and hospitals are struggling, to spend even £1 on this nonsense would be £1 too much.
“Charles dodged a huge tax bill last year, when he inherited an estimated £650 million from the Queen. Surely if anyone really wants an official portrait he can stump up the cost himself?
“The Government has lost the plot if they think people want their money spent on pictures of Charles. They need to scrap this scheme and direct the money where it’s really needed.
“The coronation is estimated to cost anything from £50-£100 million – and we can see why. This waste is absolutely scandalous.”
Hospitals, job centres, universities, HM Coastguard operations centres, coroners’ courts and Church of England places of worship are among the newly eligible organisations.
The scheme was previously open to local authorities, court buildings, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services and other public institutions across Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, among others.
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what a disgusting waste of public funds at a time when children are starving and in poverty. what a total farce
“Ultimate public servant” [sic]?
[citation needed], as Wikipedia would say.
Reading between the lines, it seems like uptake has been lower than expected, and there are stacks of boxes of these portraits in a government building somewhere.
Wow, I’m truly overwhelmed with joy at this news, not! You have the backwards Welsh Tories & WS David TC Davies arguing how Welsh democracy is a waste of money with the increase in capacity of the Senedd as England gets 10 more MPs and Wales 8 less, but are silent when sycophant Rishy Sunak spends £8 million of taxpayers money on an alledged “free” portrait of King Charles the adulterer. What next? Tea towels with Prince Andrew on. 🙄
“dedicated his life and work to serving others” LOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOL
So, multi millionaire and probably property and wealth billionaire and sponger off the tax purse and a rubber stamp for the government and taker of funds from people that die intestate, has a thing for a fancy horse and cart parade past homeless people, we need his mug shot on more walls? All hail the accident of birth!
Put a lot of them on a roll with those little perforations and stick it in the privy.
This really makes my blood Boil! The wealthy appeasing the wealthy . whilst one FIFTH of our Children are suffering deprivation! Rickets, Scurvy and Malnutrition are back! For God’s sake, elect individuals who CARE about EVERYONE. My blood pressure won’t stand much more of this lack of care for our children!
I gave it some time to reply here to give Dic Sion Davies a chance to slam this morally bankrupt, inexcusable and catastrophic waste of taxpayers money which could have been spent on doctors, dentists and nurses but perhaps he’s on annual leave. I look forward to his intervention later.
What a complete and utter waste of public money. The Vanity project of vanity projects.