Queen's painting of Sir Thomas Picton amended to include his links to slavery

  • Wales

A painting of slave-trader Sir Thomas Picton is the first in the Queen's Royal Collection of art to be amended to include his links to slavery.

Picton, also known as the Tyrant of Trinidad, was also convicted of ordering the illegal torture of teenager Luisa Calderon after she was accused of stealing. Details of the portrait at the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle have been altered in the wake of the Black Lives Matter campaign with a reference to his connection to slavery and torture.

Sir Thomas Picton has been known as war hero and the most senior British soldier to be killed defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

The Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle has a portrait of Sir Thomas Picton. Credit: PA Images

The portrait of Picton is the first to be amended in The Royal Collection Trust which has a 250,000-strong art collection.

It now reads: “Picton’s punitive administration of Trinidad and his subjects’ enforced adherence to strict penal codes were the subject of contemporary controversy in Britain and the West Indies."He was brought to trial in London in 1806, accused of carrying out torturous practices in jails under his jurisdiction. He was later partially exonerated, on the grounds that while he had committed illegal acts not befitting his role as military governor, the right to torture prisoners was recognised under the Spanish laws still enforced at the time.”A trust spokesman said: “In terms of other records, work is underway within our curatorial teams to improve and update them, which will happen in the coming weeks and months”

The leader of Cardiff Council, Huw Thomas, subsequently said on Twitter that he "fully supports" the calls to remove the statue Credit: Cardiff City Hall

There are also calls for his statue at Cardiff City Hall to me removed and changed to honour 14-year-old slave-girl, Luisa Calderon.

Sir Thomas was convicted of ordering the illegal torture of the teenager after she was accused of stealing. He admitted to the charge but the conviction was later overturned.

Cardiff's Lord Mayor, Cllr Dan De'Ath has been at the forefront of a campaign for a statue of the "sadistic" Picton to be removed. His statue has stood in the Welsh capital for more than 100 years even though he was involved in the evil trade and executed dozens of slaves during his time as Governor of Trinidad.

In a letter to Cardiff Council, Cllr De'Ath wrote he felt it was "an appropriate time to reassess how fitting it is for Cardiff to honour a man such as Picton with a statue on public display."

He said: "I feel is it no longer acceptable for Picton's statue to be amongst the "Heroes of Wales" in City Hall and I am calling on you to arrange for its removal from the Marble Hall."The letter calls for the statue of Sir Thomas Picton to be replaced with a memorial to his most famous victim.Calderon was accused of being involved in the theft of money from a businessman who her mother had arranged for her to live with as a ‘mistress’ at age 11.

The First Minister of Wales has called for urgent review of the country's statues, streets and building names to address connections with the slave trade.