A new portrait of King Charles has been officially unveiled at Derry’s St Columb’s Church of Ireland Cathedral.
It was suggested by some unionists suggested of gifting it to the cathedral after they thought a proposal to hang it in the Guildhall might not get enough support from nationalist councillors.
The Lord Lieutenant for the Derry Ian Crowe – the King’s official representative in the borough – said the cathedral was a fitting home for the portrait and he hoped it will be embraced by everyone.
“It’s a proud day for the city. In fact, to have a portrait unveiled of His Majesty King Charles III, as we know, is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he told BBC News NI.
He said the cathedral was one of the most visited tourist spots in the city and was open “to all faiths and religions and people of non-faith”.
“I think there has been a stigma around the monarch and the Royal Family and I think in recent times people have seen past that,” he said.
He said he understood not everyone supported the monarchy.
“But I think respect was shown by our elected members in our city council to vote to accept this,” he added.
Mr Crowe said he was not disappointed about the move to hang the portrait in the cathedral rather than the Guildhall.
“It’s our town hall but I respect people’s opinions on this and I respect that this is the place that was unanimously thought of by the elected members and in fairness a lot of our community thought that this was a very fitting place,” he added.
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