Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP / Getty Images
A pair of animal rights activists vandalized the recently unveiled portrait of King Charles. Two men with the group Animal Rising walked up to the portrait, which is on display at the Philip Mould gallery in London, and pasted a picture of the British animated character Wallace over King Charles' head and a chat bubble that read: "No cheese Gromit, look at all of this cruelty on RSCPA farms."
Wallace and Gromit are a popular animated duo featured in four short-length films and one feature-length movie.
The act of vandalism was in response to a recently released report that dozens of farms are not upholding the welfare standards set by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). King Charles was recently named the royal patron of the RSPCA.
Philip Mould told CNN that the vandals did not cause any damage to the painting, which is protected by a layer of Perspex. He said that the cartoon head and caption were removed from the painting in less than ten seconds.
The group shared a video of the vandalism on X.