The Chancellor of the Exchequer is reported to be switching up the pictures in Downing Street and first to be relegated out of sight is a king whose controversial reign led to him losing his throne.
James II’s portrait currently hangs in the state room at Number 11 Downing Street, the official home of the Chancellor.
Now, both The Guardian and the Daily Mail report that Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has requested all pictures in the state room are either of women or by women.
That means the portrait of King James, which was not painted by a woman, is out.
It’s expected to be put into storage.
The state room is one of the most important parts of Downing Street and is often used for public receptions.
Rachel Reeves is reported to have told an all woman reception at Number 11 this week about her plans and highlighted the fate of the painting of the man who ruled Britain from 1685 until 1688. The Chancellor said ”this is King James behind me, but from next week the artwork in this room is going to change.”
She told her guests that every portrait would be of a woman or by a woman and added there would be a statue of Millicent Fawcett, a leading figure in the suffragette movement and a campaigner for education and employment rights for women. Rachel Reeves said Millicent Fawcett had been a huge inspiration to her.
King James II was one of the most controversial monarchs to have reigned since the Norman Conquest. He took the throne on the death of his older brother, King Charles II, who had restored the monarchy after the Interregnum which saw Oliver Cromwell, leader of parliamentarian forces, take power.
However, while Charles II was a popular king, his brother never held the same public sway and his authoritarian tendencies soon led to conflict. His religion was also a factor in his unpopularity – James was a devoted Catholic while the English establishment was firmly Protestant. In 1688, the birth of a son to his second wife, Maria of Modena, appeared to cement the Catholic dynasty’s hold on the English throne and that, combined with James’ poor personal rule, led to his overthrow.
Leading establishment figures invited James II’s eldest surviving daughter from his first marriage, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, to take the throne. James’ hold on power quickly disintegrated and he fled by boat, dropping the Great Seal over the side as he went. His daughter and son-in-law became Mary II and William III, the only joint monarchs of Britain.
However, the 21st century may yet divide them. Mary would qualify to have her portrait hanging at Number 11 but William III is probably not making the cut unless a woman painted his likeness.
