An official portrait of King Charles III has finally been installed at the council meeting chamber in Reading.
Reading Borough Council has unveiled an official portrait of King Charles III in the council meeting chamber, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II's portrait that had been there for nearly three years.
The chamber serves as the venue for the council's main meetings throughout the year. The portrait of King Charles III, which was issued in January last year, has now been successfully hung, with councillors celebrating the update.
Cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley) shared the news on X, and a council spokesperson confirmed: “The council is pleased to report that the portrait of His Majesty was hung in the Chamber last week and will oversee council business going forward.”
Each local authority received one official portrait, and Reading's original is still used for Citizenship Ceremonies at the Town Hall. The newly acquired portrait was returned from the framers just in time for installation in the chamber.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, and her portrait was still noted at the planning applications committee meeting on September 10. Cllr Richard Davies (Labour, Thames) expressed his confusion, stating: “I still don’t know why we’ve got a picture of the last monarch still up, so his majesty does not seem to be represented in this room yet!”
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
