Overview
- The government spent about £2.7 million producing and distributing roughly 20,000 official portraits of King Charles III to public institutions.
- Only 31% of the 67,000 eligible bodies requested a portrait, leaving over 46,000 sites without one.
- Uptake varied sharply by sector, with just 3% of hospitals, 7% of universities and 25% of Church of England parishes participating compared with full participation by HM Coastguard and 73% of local and national government bodies.
- A freedom of information request for the recipient list was initially rejected as an actionable breach of confidence and later refused on grounds that disclosure would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.
- Campaigners and historians argue the low take-up and secrecy reflect waning public support for the monarchy and efforts to shield its reputation.