Update, 6/13/24 at 9:10 a.m. ET:
The Philip Mould Gallery provided an update regarding the condition of King Charles III‘s portrait following its vandalism. They asserted via social media that, despite any speculation, Jonathan Yeo’s #TheButterflyPortrait remains unblemished and resolute.
Original story below:
A group of activists from Animal Rising decided to give King Charles III‘s official royal portrait a unique twist during their visit to the Philip Mould Gallery. They covered the painting with two large stickers, one featuring a blown-up image of Wallace from the beloved Wallace & Gromit cartoons, and the other, a speech bubble placed near the figure’s mouth, reading, “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!”
The video of this act was captioned with a playful tone: “
BREAKING: No Cheese Gromit! King Charles Portrait Redecorated“. The organization also emphasized Charles’ role as a patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and encouraged him to take action against the Assured Scheme, which aims to provide ethical food labels and protect farm animals.
Animal Rising further amplified their message by sharing a link to a petition against the RSPCA, along with a report exposing “animal suffering and widespread regulation breaches” on RSPCA Assured farms across the United Kingdom.
The portrait in question, painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, was unveiled in May and is set to remain on display at the London gallery until later this month. It depicts Charles standing stoically in a Welsh Guards uniform, with a butterfly hovering over his shoulder. The vibrant red color scheme of the portrait sparked mixed reactions from the public, leading Yeo to clarify his artistic vision.
“The red was inspired by the Welsh Guards, but I wanted the painting to have a contemporary feel and not be overshadowed by the background,” Yeo explained. “The color combination worked well with the face, and I felt it was a nice blend of traditional and modern elements.”
The internet community had a field day with theories about Yeo’s inspiration, and the artist himself has enjoyed following the conversation. He shared that his daughter enthusiastically showed him the various conspiracies and hot takes about the painting on TikTok, including some that labeled him a Satanist and a member of the Illuminati.
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Despite the online chatter, Yeo’s most important critic, King Charles himself, was pleased with the final product. Yeo shared that when he showed the three-quarters-done portrait to the King back in November, he was relieved to see a positive reaction. Had the King been appalled, Yeo admitted he might have reconsidered his approach.
Yeo also revealed that he was particularly anxious to see Queen Camilla‘s reaction to the portrait. “When [Camilla] smiled upon seeing it, I breathed a sigh of relief,” he confessed.
