Portrait of Winston Churchill (Sutherland)

Churchill had wanted to direct the composition towards a fictionalised scene but Sutherland had insisted upon a realistic portrayal, one described by Simon Schama as "No bulldog, no baby face.

[5] Churchill also wished to be depicted in his robes as a Knight of the Garter, but the commission specified that he should be shown in his usual parliamentary dress: a black coat, with waistcoat and striped trousers, and a spotted bow tie.

[10] With ten days remaining, he sent a note to Sutherland stating that "the painting, however masterly in execution, is not suitable"[8] and declared that the ceremony would go ahead without it.

Conservative MP Charles Doughty persuaded Churchill that the presentation had to go ahead to avoid offending the members of Parliament who financed it.

[citation needed] In 1978, it was reported that Lady Spencer-Churchill had destroyed the painting within a year of its arrival at Chartwell, by breaking it into pieces and having them incinerated to prevent it from causing further distress to her husband.

[4] Lady Spencer-Churchill had previously destroyed earlier portraits of her husband that she disliked, including sketches by Walter Sickert and Paul Maze.

[4] Many commentators were aghast at the destruction of the work of art, and Sutherland condemned it as an act of vandalism; others upheld the Churchills' right to dispose of their property as they saw fit.

[17] Within the events of the 2016 Netflix series The Crown, the ninth episode of the first season, entitled "Assassins", dramatises the creation, unveiling, and destruction of the portrait.

[18] Although historical evidence suggests that Churchill's secretaries were the ones who actually destroyed the painting, the episode depicts Lady Spencer-Churchill watching it burn on the grounds of Chartwell House.

The episode won John Lithgow, who played Churchill, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.