Campaigners have challenged the government to come clean over which public institutions have asked for a copy of a portrait of King Charles.

The Guardian today reported that only 31% of institutions requested a royal portrait, with more than 46,000 showing no interest.

The report said the government was refusing to disclose which institutions have asked for the picture of Charles, claiming such disclosure would cause controversy.

The Guardian report can be viewed here: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/13/over-46000-public-bodies-spurned-offer-of-free-king-charles-portrait

Speaking for campaign group Republic, Graham Smith said today:

"Support for the monarchy has fallen sharply in recent years, and interest in it has collapsed."

"This is why the government is being coy about who has requested a portrait, as they want to protect the image of a beloved monarchy."

"The chances of there being controversy around spending money on portraits is far more likely than in the past."

"But it is unacceptable to maintain secrecy around public spending by cash-strapped public institutions in order to avoid controversy."

"The government has spent more than £2.7m on this pointless scheme that has attracted little interest."

"The whole point of freedom of information is to allow the public to judge the conduct and decisions of public authorities."

"It is up to the public to determine whether they criticise those who do order or don’t order the portrait."