ATHABASCA — Nearly two years after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, her framed likenesses hanging on the walls of municipal buildings in the Athabasca area are being replaced with the new official Canadian portraits of King Charles III, slowly but surely.
Canadian Heritage noted the Queen’s portrait was removed from the walls of federal spaces following her funeral, and subsequent levels of governments, like provinces and communities within them, were permitted to remove the portraits, too.
Boyle CAO Warren Griffin and Athabasca County CAO Bob Beck both said the images of the late Queen had been removed from the walls of both the Village and County municipal buildings approximately three weeks ago when King Charles’ replacement portrait was received.
The official portrait, which features the new king adorned with the Order of Canada insignia, was snapped in June of this year by UK photographer Millie Pilkington and distributed by the Municipal Affairs department of the provincial government around the beginning of July.
But in Athabasca’s town council chambers, the late Queen’s stately visage shrouded in black canvas still overlooks the municipal proceedings from her spot over Mayor Rob Balay’s right shoulder.
While Balay and members of town staff — CAO Rachel Ramey was not available for comment prior to publication — weren’t able to say when the new king’s portrait would be hung, his mother’s image will remain for now as a token of Canada’s story.
“It’s a reminder of our history,” said Balay. “We have a tendency, as we move forward, to lose our history and how we got to where we are, so to me it’s a reminder.”
Beck, Griffin, and Athabasca town staff were all unable to say what will happen to the old portraits of the Queen, but the village and town did note they may consider donating the images to the archives or local heritage societies.
King Charles III’s official Canadian portrait, taken in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, is available for free from the federal Department of Heritage to any interested Canadians, although shipping rates do apply.
