A painting of a controversial Welsh 'war hero' is the first in the Queen's Royal Collection of art to be amended to include his links to slavery.
The public notes for a painting of Haverfordwest-born Thomas Picton hanging at the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor Castle have been altered in the wake of the Black Lives Matter campaign.
While remembered as the highest ranking officer to die at Waterloo and lauded for two centuries as a 'war hero', Picton also executed dozens of slaves as governor of the island and notoriously authorised the torture of a teenage girl.
Picton's is the first to be amended in The Royal Collection Trust, which has a 250,000-strong art collection and includes exhibits at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
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."
Picton, who was known as the "Tyrant of Trinidad", was described by the Duke of Wellington as "a rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived" but "very capable."
In 1806 Picton was convicted of ordering the illegal torture of 14-year-old girl Luisa Calderón after she was accused of stealing.
He admitted the charge but the conviction was later overturned. He returned to Britain to be an MP when he was killed by Napoleon’s troops in 1815 and is still the only Welshman to be buried at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Campaigners claim his links to the slave trade should be highlighted, and a number of Picton memorials across Wales have been the centre of controversy in recent weeks.
A statue of the former governor of Trinidad stands in Cardiff's City Hall and a 25-metre tall monument to him has stood on the outskirts of Carmarthen town centre since 1888.
Calls have been made to remove the statues, with many campaigners in Cardiff asking for the one there to be replaced with a memorial to the 14-year-old slave girl he tortured.
Lord mayor of Cardiff, Dan De-Ath, wrote in a letter to Cardiff Council: “I feel that it is no longer acceptable for Picton’s statue to be amongst the ‘Heroes of Wales’ and I am calling on you to arrange for its removal from the Marble Hall at a time when resources and logistics allow and when it is safe to do so.”
Picton Arcade shopping mall in Swansea has also been subject to calls to have it renamed. Its owners removed the signs saying 'Picton Arcade' on Thursday, July 2.
And at the three-storey Haverfordwest town house where Picton was born, a plaque marking the spot was removed in June after fears it could be the target of attacks.
The Mayor of Haverfordwest, Sue Murray, believes the plaque should go on display at Haverfordwest Town Museum from next year.
