Vic Fedeli is making sure area Legions receive a framed portrait of King Charles III. The Canadian Government has yet to receive an official Canadian portrait of the King, although Buckingham Palace will let us know, via Canadian Heritage, when one is ready.
In May, an official portrait of the King, painted by Jonathan Yeo, made international headlines for its heavy use of red hues. That portrait depicted King Charles standing in his uniform of the Welsh Guards, the red fabric melding into the red and pink background.
However, this is not the official portrait destined for Canada, so the federal government continues to wait. Once word arrives, the portrait will be made available to display within all Federal buildings.
In the meantime, Fedeli wanted to honour King Charles by delivering the official coronation portrait. Last Friday, while announcing funding for seniors along with Minister Raymond Cho, Fedeli presented a portrait to Legion Branch 445 in Callander which also serves Bonfield, and East Ferris, with plans to deliver the photo to all area Legions throughout the summer.
See: Fedeli and Minister Cho give to area seniors
“The portraits are printed and available in our office for free,” Fedeli noted, adding everyone is welcome to pick one up at his constituency office at 219 Main Street, North Bay.
For those photos destined for Legion halls, Fedeli’s office ensured each was framed and ready to hang.
“It’s been more than a year and it’s definitely time to have the new coronation picture,” Fedeli said. “It’s incumbent on somebody to make sure that we replace the Queen’s portrait – even though it’s draped in black – with the official coronation portrait everybody’s waiting for.”
Indeed, the Queen’s portrait still hangs within the Callander Legion, as well as within all Federal buildings. It cannot be removed until an official Canadian portrait of the King is released from Buckingham Palace. However, the official coronation portrait is allowed to be displayed along with the Queen’s.
The Queen’s official portrait remains draped in black. The photo is clearly visible, but the top and sides of the frame are shrouded in black material. Her portraits were so covered since her death and will remain so until it is removed.
Once an official portrait is released by the Feds, the Legion will receive one from its head office. They come unframed. The framing is the responsibility of the recipient.
“Everybody is waiting for the official portrait,” Fedeli said, “but this is an interim” solution. He reiterated it’s been over a year since King Charles’ photo has been displayed, high time to “put protocol aside and just make sure our Legions of all people have that.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
