New figures reveal that most Church of England churches have chosen not to request a free portrait of King Charles, offered to public institutions across the UK to mark his reign.
The photograph, showing the King in a Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet uniform, was taken by Hugo Burnand at Windsor Castle last year. While all 23 HM Coastguard centres accepted the offer, only 25 per cent of the 15,815 CofE churches— where the King serves as Supreme Governor— decided to display it, totalling 4,031 requests.
The King’s Portrait Scheme, a voluntary programme launched after King Charles’s Coronation in May 2023, offered free framed portraits of the monarch to public institutions. Running from November to August, the £2.7 million scheme provided over 20,500 portraits, with varying levels of interest across different sectors.
The Coastguard led with full participation, followed by 75 out of 99 lord lieutenants. Around a third of schools (8,384 out of nearly 30,000) accepted, while just three per ceny of hospitals and 35 of 275 universities participated.
Public bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland showed the least interest, with acceptance rates of 13.7 per cent, 13.8 per cent, and 10.5 per cent, respectively.
Despite extended deadlines, overall participation stood at 31 per cent, with each portrait costing an average of £131.81, including delivery.