Famous Winston Churchill Portrait Returns to Ottawa After International Art Caper

Canadian Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister, Isabelle Mondou (L) and Andrea Clark-Grignon, Head of Public Affairs, unveil a photographic portrait known as 'The Roaring Lion', taken by photographer Yousuf Karsh in 1941 of Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill, stolen in Canada in 2022, and returned during a ceremony at the Canada's embassy in Rome, on Sept. 19, 2024. The Canadian Press/AP-Alessandra Tarantino

A stolen portrait of Winston Churchill that was swapped with a dodgy forgery during the pandemic has returned to its rightful place, after two Ottawa police detectives travelled to Rome to retrieve it.

And this time, it’s not going anywhere from its original home on the reading room wall of the posh Château Laurier hotel.