King Charles’ Face Replaced by His Favorite Cartoon in Notorious Red Portrait
One activist said they hoped his majesty would find the stunt “amusing.”
Animal Rising
LONDON—King Charles III’s first official portrait was targeted by animal rights activists on Tuesday who plastered an animation character’s face over the monarch’s head.
The group Animal Rising released a video of people using paint rollers to paste the face of Wallace from “Wallace and Gromit” onto the painting displayed at the Philip Mould Gallery in London. The stunt comes the month after Charles unveiled the striking—and highly controversial—artwork by painter Jonathan Yeo.
In a press release, Animal Rising said its action was intended to call attention to an investigation it had conducted into the “cruelty” it claimed to have uncovered on “RSPCA Assured” farms. Charles is a patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“The lighthearted action played on the king’s love of Wallace and Gromit and his status as Royal Patron of the RSPCA,” the release said.
The king previously visited Aardman Animation studios and told the creator Nick Park that he watched the Wallace and Gromit films “again and again.”
‼️BREAKING: No Cheese Gromit! King Charles Portrait Redecorated‼️ @RoyalFamily
— Animal Rising (@AnimalRising) June 11, 2024
‼️Find out why King Charles, Patron of the RSPCA should ask them to drop the Assured Scheme -> https://t.co/pTneW0QCWf 👈 pic.twitter.com/jYLHFuxtHB
It also quoted one of the activists involved in the stunt as saying they hoped it would be “amusing to his majesty,” but that he would “seriously reconsider” his patronage of the charity in light of the group’s investigation.
Philip Mould, the art dealer and historian whose gallery was displaying the portrait, told The Daily Beast there was “no damage to the picture” from the protest.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“The stickers that they placed were on for about 10 seconds and then they were removed,” he said. Mould added that he asked the activists to leave the gallery—which they did—and that a police report had been made.
The Daily Beast has contacted the RSPCA for comment.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.