A framed artwork on a dark wall features an abstract, predominantly red painting with a three-dimensional, comically exaggerated head of Wallace from "Wallace and Gromit" protruding from the top. Below the head is a speech bubble that reads, "No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!"
A portrait of King Charles III has been defaced with the head of Wallace of "Wallace and Gromit." Photo courtesy of Animal Rising

The recently revealed portrait of British King Charles III has been vandalized by activists with the group Animal Rising, who called for an “urgent” transition to global plant-based food systems for to protect animal rights and to address climate change.

The first official portrait of King Charles by Jonathan Yeo, revealed in May, earned backlash after it was unveiled at Buckingham Palace. It features the monarch in his military uniform against a red background, with a butterfly on his shoulder.

Two activists with the group entered the Philip Mould gallery in London around noon local time and affixed the image of the beloved claymation character Wallace of Wallace and Gromit over His Majesty’s face (the monarch is reportedly a fan of the character). The group did not reveal what adhesive was used.

“No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!” reads a cartoon bubble that was also attached to the portrait. Wallace is known in his films for his love of cheese.

King Charles is the royal patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a British charity that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA runs an assurance labelling program to highlight those it views aim to improve the welfare of farm animals.

The act of protest came after Animal Rising released a report documenting alleged cruelty and suffering by animals at 45 RSPCA-assured farms across the U.K., which included an alleged 280 legal breaches and 94 breaches of regulations under the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

The group continued, “On one Somerset farm investigators found a dead and decomposing pig in a walkway, whilst others observed a shed at an RSPCA Assured egg-laying hen farm in Kent with approximately 64,000 chickens in dire conditions.”

In posts on X in which it claimed responsibility for the “redecorated” portrait, Animal Rising urged the King to ask RSPCA to “drop the Assured Scheme.”

It was not immediately clear if the protesters would face any legal issues, and Buckingham Palace has not yet commented publicly on the matter.