In a recent act of vandalism, animal rights activists from a group called Animal Rising pasted a cartoon image over a portrait of King Charles III at a London art gallery.
This incident is the latest in a series of similar events at U.K. museums, where campaigners have been using vandalism to draw attention to their causes.
The activists shared a video showing them pasting a picture of Wallace, a character from the popular “Wallace and Gromit” comedy series, over the king’s head. They referred to this action as a “comic redecoration,” which was intended to highlight an investigation conducted by Animal Rising.
The investigation allegedly found widespread violations of animal husbandry rules at farms approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Next to the image of Wallace, a speech bubble read, “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!”
The painting, which was protected by a sheet of plastic, was not damaged during the incident, according to the Philip Mould Gallery, where it is currently on display.
The larger-than-life portrait, created by artist Jonathan Yeo, was unveiled last month and is the first portrait of Charles to be completed since he became king in 2022.
The painting depicts the king in shades of red, with his hands clasped atop the hilt of his sword and a butterfly flitting above his right shoulder. The portrait was commissioned to celebrate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, an organization that was originally established as a trade association for wool merchants but now primarily focuses on philanthropic activities.
This incident follows another recent act of vandalism, which took place on May 10, when two climate change protesters attacked the protective glass case housing an original copy of the Magna Carta at the British Library.
The 800-year-old document, considered one of the foundations of western democracy, was not damaged during the attack.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.