News story

Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme

More than 20,500 portraits were provided free to public institutions across the United Kingdom to celebrate the new reign under the official portrait scheme.

From:
Cabinet Office
Published
28 November 2024

His Majesty The King’s Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. The scheme ran from November 2023 to August 2024 and saw more than 20,500 portraits provided to public institutions across the United Kingdom to celebrate the new reign.

Summary of the scheme

  • There were a total of 20,565 orders placed during the operation of the scheme. 
  • Across the UK, take-up from Government Departments, Arm’s-length bodies (ALB), and Local Authorities was 73.1%.
  • Broken down by individual nations within the UK, the total take-up for all from Government Departments, Arm’s-length bodies (ALB), and Local Authorities in England was 82.7%; in Scotland it was 68.3%; for Wales it was 15.6%; and for Northern Ireland it was 11.5%.
  • Total take-up across the UK from all eligible public authorities, including Government departments, Arm’s-length bodies (ALB) and Local Authorities and all other institutions was 30.6%.
  • Broken down by individual nations within the UK, the total take-up for all eligible public authorities and institutions in England was 33.5%; in Scotland it was 13.7%; for Wales it was 13.8%; and for Northern Ireland it was 10.5%.

Please refer to the take-up statistics below for a detailed breakdown.

Cost of the Scheme

The HMK Portrait scheme was launched on 14th November 2023 and, including two extensions of scope, ran until 15th August 2024. A total of 20,565 orders were received, the cost of which, including delivery, was £2,710,705.50 with an average price of £131.81 per portrait.

Take-up statistics

Portraits Take-up summary

Public authorities and other eligible Institutions Total Ordered Take-up
Govt. Depts, Arm’s-length bodies (ALB) & Local Authorities 1,422 1,040 73.1%
Schools 28806 8384 29.1%
Lord Lieutenancies 99 75 76.7%
Town, Parish, and Community Councils 14648 4409 30.1%
Cadet Forces 3678 2337 63.5%
CofE Churches 15815 4031 25.5%
Universities & Higher Education 475 35 7.4%
Hospitals 1454 40 2.8%
Coroners’ Courts 93 56 60.2%
Coastguards 23 23 100.0%
Job Centres 639 135 21.1%
Grand Total 67,152 20,565 30.62%

Detailed Headline take-up numbers by group and region

HMK Portrait Scheme Conclusion Numbers Eligible Ordered England (and UK wide central authorities) - Numbers Eligible England (and UK wide central authorities) - Ordered England (and UK wide central authorities) - Take-Up Wales - Numbers Eligible Wales - Ordered Wales - Take-Up Scotland - Numbers Eligible Scotland - Ordered Scotland - Take-Up Northern Ireland - Numbers Eligible Northern Ireland - Ordered Northern Ireland - Take-Up
Govt. Depts, Arms Length Bodies & Local Authorities 1,422 1,040 1,195 988 82.7% 41 28 68.3% 64 10 15.6% 122 14 11.5%
Schools 28,806 8,384 23,739 8,067 34.0% 1470 92 6.3% 2479 199 8.0% 1118 26 2.3%
Lord Lieutenancies 99 75 48 40 83.3% 8 5 62.5% 35 24 68.6% 8 6 75.0%
Town, Parish, and Community Councils 14,648 4,409 11,874 4,008 33.8% 1617 212 13.1% 1157 189 16.3% 0 0 n/a
Cadet Forces 3,678 2337 2899 1963 67.7% 237 131 55.3% 421 173 41.1% 121 70 57.9%
CofE Churches 15,815 4031 15815 4031 25.5% 0   n/a 0   n/a 0   n/a
Universities & Higher Education 475 35 424 31 7.3% 10 2 20.0% 20 2 10.0% 21 0 0.0%
Hospitals 1,454 40 1,201 38 3.2% 77 0 0.0% 141 2 1.4% 35 0 0.0%
Coroners’ Courts 93 56 56 56 100.0% 0 0 0.0% 36 0 0.0% 1 0 0.0%
Coastguards 23 23 11 11 100.0% 4 4 100.0% 7 7 100.0% 1 1 100.0%
Job Centres 639 135 491 91 18.5% 47 9 19.1% 66 0 0.0% 35 35 100.0%
Grand Total 67,152 20,565 57,753 19,324 33.46% 3511 483 13.76% 4426 606 13.69% 1462 152 10.40%

Updates to this page

Published 28 November 2024