King Charles III portrait to be 'gifted' to Derry cathedral as hosting in Guildhall 'would not gain support'

Following his coronation last year, the UK Government commissioned a portrait of King Charles III , taken at Windsor Castle, which was offered for free to Councils and other public authorities across the United Kingdom.

UUP Alderman Darren Guy noted that the portrait would not be accepted for display in the Guildhall, and proposed that the Council received it and immediately gifted it to the Derry cathedral for display instead.

“Sadly I realise that the portrait would not gain support to be displayed within the Guildhall,” Alderman Guy said. “So, [the proposed gifting] will allow those who live in this city and district a chance to view this new portrait.”

Sinn Féin councillor Christopher Jackson said said that, as a republican party, Sinn Féin had “no truck” with the Royal Family and would abstain from voting.

However, he acknowledged there were people in the city and district that have an affiliation to the Royal Family and didn’t wish to “stand in their way”.

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said it was “slightly unfair to say it wouldn’t get support to be displayed within this building”, but had no issue with it being gifted to the cathedral.

Cllr Tierney added: “If people want to see it, then that should be open to them. There are many people who would, so good for them. The Council shouldn’t be standing in the way of that.”

DUP Alderman Niree McMorris said Councillors weren’t given an opportunity to decide if the portrait was accepted into the Guildhall, and that she “would have loved to have seen it”.

“We have other memorabilia,” Alderman McMorris said. “We have Queen Victoria and other portraits, so I don’t think it was a big ask to accept a portrait.”

Derry & Strabane representatives previously were divided over whether to mark King Charles III’s coronation, ahead of the event in May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.

At a meeting in March 2023, unionist representatives accused the council of ‘ignoring’ Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist (PUL) community events, while socialist, nationalist, and republican councillors criticised what one predicted would be an ‘obscene spectacle’ of wealth in light of a cost of living crisis.

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter