Image: House of Lords [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0], via Flickr
Webinar notes show some Swindon office employees object to portrait of “anti-science” monarch
Since coming to the throne, King Charles has basked in much public admiration during official visits across the UK—but if he were ever to visit UK Research and Innovation’s Swindon headquarters, “Charlie Windsor” might get a frostier reception from some, according to notes from a staff forum webinar.
UKRI notes, obtained by Research Professional News under the Freedom of Information Act, suggest that some employees raised concerns about a portrait of the King, hung at the organisation’s Swindon headquarters.
During one of the webinar sessions, in which employees can ask questions of members of the UKRI leadership team, a staff member asked: “Can we please remove the portrait of Charlie Windsor from our buildings? Myself and 45 per cent of the population believe the monarchy is an outdated institution.”
Another commenter said King Charles was a monarch “well known for his anti-science standpoint”, meaning it was “therefore inappropriate for him to be depicted on our estate”.
However, another webinar participant added that since UKRI was “funded by His Majesty’s government”, the situation was nuanced.
A fourth participant suggested a solution. “Perhaps we could have a compromise by having portraits of elected leaders like [former Conservative prime ministers] Boris Johnson and Liz Truss as well as the King?” This suggestion did not receive a response.
UKRI management said in the webinar that all public institutions were entitled to a free portrait of the King, and that it was “hung as stipulated by the…landlords of Polaris House”, which include the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
A spokesperson for UKRI said: “Questions raised at the staff webinars contain the personal views and opinions of individual staff members, reflecting the diversity of people, ideas and experiences across the organisation.”