A portrait of the King will be hung in a council building as part of an £8m scheme to celebrate the new reign.
A new official portrait of King Charles III was unveiled yesterday by the Cabinet Office for institutions up and down the country to use - with Brighton and Hove City Council applying to use the picture in one of its buildings.
But anti-monarchy campaign group Republic branded the £8m initiative a “shameful waste of money” when it was announced ahead of the coronation last year.
The monarch was captured last year by photographer Hugo Burnand, who also took the King and Queen’s coronation portraits and their 2005 wedding photos.
Charles is pictured in full naval regalia inside Windsor Castle wearing his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet.
Councils, courts, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services are among the UK institutions able to apply to claim the formal, framed portrait of the monarch for free.
A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "Brighton and Hove applied for a portrait of King Charles III late last year. All councils were offered one portrait as a gift.
“A decision on where the portrait will be hung hasn’t yet been made yet, but it is likely to be in the Mayor’s Parlour at Brighton Town Hall.”
The Cabinet Office said the move carries on the tradition which saw many institutions display official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “The accession of His Majesty The King marked a new chapter in our national story.
“Displaying this new portrait will serve as a reminder to us all of the example set by our ultimate public servant and I hope as many eligible organisations as possible will wish to continue this proud British tradition and honour our King’s reign.”
Campaigners at Republic are not convinced. Chief executive Graham Smith said: “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.”
"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.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel