King Charles’ first official portrait was vandalized by activists.

The first official portrait of King Charles since his coronation was vandalized by animal rights activists on Tuesday. The artwork, created by British artist Jonathan Yeo, was defaced with an image of a character from the animated franchise Wallace and Gromit. The group responsible, Animal Rising, shared a video of the incident, which took place at a public gallery in London, online.

Portrait Vandalized by Animal Rights Activists

In the video, two activists from Animal Rising can be seen approaching King Charles' portrait, which depicts him in his red Welsh Guards ceremonial military uniform. They placed an image of Wallace's head over the King's face, shocking onlookers who gasped in surprise. The message left on the painting read, “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!” This slogan refers to the animated character's love for cheese and “the alleged animal cruelty at a number of farms certified by the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA),” as reported by a news portal.

The painting was scheduled to be on free public display at the Philip Mould Gallery until June 21, but this act of vandalism might alter its exhibition plans. However, Animal Rising stated that the painting was not damaged. “The posters were affixed using water sprayed onto the back of them and are easily removable without causing damage to the painting,” the group explained.

Activists' Message to King Charles

Daniel Juniper, one of the activists involved in the defacement, said, “With King Charles being such a big fan of Wallace and Gromit, we couldn’t think of a better way to draw his attention to the horrific scenes on RSPCA Assured farms!”

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about animal welfare and the use of public demonstrations to raise awareness about these issues.