The Queen’s portrait that once hung in a council’s premises will not be archived after all, after Armagh councillors decided to have it displayed in the Primate’s Chapel in Armagh — just above a plaque recording that the late monarch had conferred city status upon Armagh at that very location in 1995.
The issue of what to do with the Queen’s portrait arose at the September 2024 meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council’s Governance, Resources & Strategy Committee meeting, when it was decided to place a framed portrait of King Charles III in the mezzanine area of Craigavon Civic Centre in lieu of the Queen’s portrait.
Relegating the portrait of such a long-serving monarch to storage, however, was an option which some councillors had an issue with.
Speaking at the September 2024 committee meeting, Kate Evans (UUP) remarked: “With regards to the portrait being changed over, I don’t have any issues with the portrait of the Queen being replaced with the King, but I do have an issue with the Queen being placed in storage.
“She was the longest-serving monarch, and I think we could maybe find a better place to put it, than put it in storage. I would propose that we possibly move it to the Palace [Demesne in Armagh] instead.”
The late Queen’s portrait will be displayed above the plaque recording her March 9, 1995 visit when she conferred city status on Armagh. Credit: ABC planning portal
Council Legal, Governance and Monitoring officer, Kate McCusker said she would look for suitable locations.
Four months on, at a Committee meeting held on January 8, the senior council officer came up with two possible locations – the Primate’s Chapel and Armagh County Museum.
She commented: “Members will recall that at September’s committee meeting, I was asked to investigate possible locations where the portrait of the lake Queen could be relocated to.
“One option is Primate’s Chapel in Armagh. This is a small chapel which is located next to the Palace. It’s where the late Queen conferred city status on Armagh in 1995, and a plaque was erected in the entrance to the chapel to record this event. The portrait could be erected above that plaque.
“The second option is that the [portrait] is archived to the County Museum.”
Ms Evans proposed going along with option 1, the Primate’s Palace.
The proposal was seconded by Deputy Lord Mayor, Kyle Savage (UUP), who remarked: “I think it’s very fitting that the portrait of our late Queen will be where she conferred city status on Armagh.”