A portrait of the Queen painted by disgraced artist and entertainer Rolf Harris appears to be missing.
The BBC commissioned Harris to paint Her Majesty to mark her 80th birthday in 2006. The portrait, which took the shamed star two months to complete, shows the Queen in a turquoise dress and confirmed Harris' standing at the heart of British society.
But the BBC now claims it does not have the oil painting in its collection - despite Buckingham Palace insisting it is owned by the corporation.
The painting was hung in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace until 2007, before being moved to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, where it was on public view until mid-2012.
But after the cloud of sex abuse allegations began hanging over Harris last year, the BBC has repeatedly refused to clarify the location of the painting.
Rolf Harris - a life in pictures
A spokeswoman said: "We've been asked about this before and the position hasn't changed. The BBC does not have this painting in its collection.
"We have nothing further to add."
The claims follow an insistence by Buckingham Palace that "the portrait is the property of the BBC".
It is unknown whether the painting has been destroyed or if it is in the possession of Harris himself. His PR representatives, Bell Pottinger, have said they are unable to provide information as to the painting's whereabouts.
When it was released in 2006, the portrait was lambasted as "amateurish" by critics after shamed Harris unveiled it to the Her Majesty himself in the Yellow Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.
The process of painting was filmed and shown in a special edition of the Rolf on Art programme.
