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An oil painting of the Queen has seemingly disappeared, according to a report in the Guardian. The portrait was created in honor of the Queen’s 80th birthday by artist and subsequently convicted pedophile Rolf Harris. The two month long process was filmed by BBC television. Harris was further accused of attacking a TV presenter on Tuesday, and more instances of sexual assault by the artist and entertainer have recently emerged.
After the painting’s 2006 unveiling in the yellow drawing room of Buckingham Palace, it was moved to the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace until 2007, whereupon it was moved once again to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. It remained on display there until mid-2012 when Harris was first arrested and the painting’s whereabouts became a mystery.
At the time, the Walker gallery claimed to have returned the work to Buckingham Palace. But officials at the palace are adamant that it never became part of the Royal Collection and was not at the palace. Speculation then arose that BBC may have the artwork. However a spokeswoman told the paper, “We do not have it in our collection.”
Though the conclusion seems to be that Harris himself is in possession of the painting, a spokesman from his PR firm, Bell Pottinger, was also unable to uncover any information on the matter.
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