Famous Churchill Portrait Stolen During Pandemic Will Return to Ottawa From Italy, Police Say

A renowned portrait of Sir Winston Churchill photographed by famed Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh and stolen from an Ottawa hotel will be returned to Canada after being recovered in Italy. The Ottawa Police Service said two investigators will go to Rome later this month to retrieve the Karsh portrait of Churchill, which was reported stolen from the Fairmont Château Laurier in August 2022. Police said their two-year investigation determined that the portrait, dubbed The Roaring Lion, had been taken sometime between Dec. 25, 2021, and Jan. 6, 2022, according to a Sept. 11 Ottawa Police Service (OPS) news release. Estrellita Karsh, wife of legendary photographer Yousuf Karsh, stands in front of the iconic 1941 photograph of Winston Churchill taken by her husband in the Speaker of the House of Commons’ chambers, on July 14, 2009. (The Canadian Press/Fred Chartrand) At a Sept. 11 media conference, the general manager of the hotel, Geneviève Dumas, said the COVID-19 pandemic made it possible to determine the dates....