Animal rights activists made headlines on Tuesday after pasting a cartoon image over a portrait of King Charles III at a London art gallery. The incident, which was captured on video and shared by a group called Animal Rising, involved campaigners placing a picture of a character named Wallace from the ‘Wallace and Gromit’ comedy series over the king's head.
The activists referred to this act as ‘comic redecoration’ and stated that it was intended to draw attention to their investigation, which allegedly uncovered widespread violations of animal husbandry rules at farms approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A speech bubble next to Wallace's head read: “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!”
Fortunately, the painting, created by artist Jonathan Yeo, was protected by a sheet of plastic and remained undamaged during the incident. The portrait, unveiled just last month, is the first official portrait of King Charles III since his ascension to the throne in 2022. The artwork captures the king in shades of red, with his hands clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a butterfly fluttering above his right shoulder.
The portrait was commissioned to commemorate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, an organization established over 600 years ago as a trade association for wool merchants, which now primarily focuses on philanthropic endeavors.
This incident comes on the heels of another act of vandalism in the U.K., where two climate change protesters attacked the protective glass case housing an original copy of the Magna Carta at the British Library on May 10. Fortunately, the 800-year-old document, considered a cornerstone of western democracy, was not damaged during the incident.
