U-turn by ministers will let churches claim a free portrait of the King - after ... trends now

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Ministers have been forced into an embarrassing rethink over barring churches from receiving a free portrait of King Charles after The Mail on Sunday intervened.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is understood to be reviewing eligibility for the picture project after it emerged that under the £8 million government-funded scheme, prisons qualified but places of worship were excluded.

Churches were instead told they would have to stump up for the Charles portrait if they wanted to display it.

The scheme, which was announced last April, offers a free framed picture of the King to public bodies including prisons, schools, courts and police forces.

The portrait was taken by royal photographer Hugo Burnand and shows the King wearing a Royal Navy uniform.

It was offered to boost ‘civic pride’ for ‘the new era in our history’ after the Coronation. The exclusion of churches had come as a surprise to some MPs.