Portraits of the Queen have been taken down from the Belfast headquarters of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) after a senior civil servant who was “offended” by them was awarded £10,000 compensation.

A series of landscape paintings have replaced the depictions of the head of state and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Photos of the Queen meeting late Sinn Fein vice president Martin McGuinness were suggested as replacements but rejected, the News Letter newspaper reported.

The Ulster Unionist Party politician Lord Empey said he had raised the matter with a “surprised” Boris Johnson during a meeting at Stormont House – the NIO’s Belfast HQ – earlier this week.

“He immediately looked puzzled and looked around in each direction for some guidance from officials on either side of him. One intervened with a comment about it being a personnel issue,” Lord Empey told the newspaper.

The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Show all 23 1 /23 The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Eisenhower President Dwight D Eisenhower welcomes the Queen to Washington on 18 October 1957 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Truman President Harry Truman welcomes then Princess Elizabeth to Washington on 4 November 1951 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Eisenhower President Dwight D Eisenhower and the Queen inspect a Guard of Honour at the gates of Balmoral Castle on 28 August 1959 Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Eisenhower President Dwight D Eisenhower with the Queen at Balmoral Castle on 29 August 1959 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Kennedy President John F Kennedy and wife Jacqueline with the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace on June 5 1961 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Nixon The Queen and then Vice President Richard Nixon share a laugh at a Thanksgiving Dinner at Winfield House, the US ambassador's residence in London on 27 November 1958 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Nixon President Richard Nixon meets the Queen and Prime Minister Edward Heath at Chequers on 3 October 1970 Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Ford The Queen waves to the crowd as she and Prince Philip are welcomed to the White House by President Gerald Ford and wife Betty Ford on 7 July 1976 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Carter President Jimmy Carter and the Queen at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace on 7 May 1977 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Reagan President Ronald Reagan goes riding with the Queen at Windsor on 8 June 1982 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Reagan President Ronald Reagan riding with the Queen at Windsor on 8 June 1982 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Reagan President Ronald Reagan addresses a banquet at Windsor Castle on 8 June 1982 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Reagan President Ronald Reagan is pictured with the Queen and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher before a banquet at Buckingham Palace on 9 June 1984 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Bush (H W) President George H W Bush waves to the crowd as he takes the Queen and Prince Philip to a baseball game in Baltimore on 15 May 1991 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Bush (H W) The Queen shares a joke with former first lady Barbara Bush as she and former president George H W Bush attend an awards ceremony in London in November 1993 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Clinton First Lady Hillary Clinton talks with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 30 November 1995 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Clinton President Bill Clinton and the Queen pose for a photo at the Guildhall in London before a banquet to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in 1995 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Bush (W) The Queen waves to the crowd as she and Prince Phillip are welcomed to the White House by President George W Bush and wife Laura Bush on 7 May 2007 PA The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Bush (W) President George W Bush and wife Laura Bush with the Queen and Prince Philip on a state visit on 19 November 2003 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Obama President Barack Obama looks on as the Queen signs a guestbook after a dinner at Winfield House, the US ambassador's residence in London on 25 May 2011 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Obama The Queen and President Barack Obama arrive at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on 24 May 2011 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump Obama The Queen and Prince Philip welcome Barack and Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace on 1 April 2009 AFP/Getty The Queen with US presidents: Truman to Trump President Donald Trump and the Queen inspect a Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle in July 2018 PA

“There was no definitive response from him but the matter has been squarely laid on the table and we shall see what emerges,” added the peer, who vowed to pursue the “rather bizarre” matter further.

In a separate interview, he said: “This case goes back to 2012, it was actually secretary of state Theresa Villiers who was in office when the case was settled, so it's not a new issue, but we made the very simple point that while respecting of course the fact that people here have different identities and aspirations, nevertheless if you are working in a UK Government department, it's not unreasonable to expect to see at some stage a photograph of the head of state.”

Last month Lord Maginnis told the House of Lords that a civil servant had been paid the compensation for “hurt feelings and distress” caused by having to walk past portraits of Elizabeth II.

The former Ulster Unionist Party MP said: “This is scandalous. It is an indictment of the Northern Ireland Office and of this government.”

Queen Elizabeth II visiting Northern Ireland in 2016 to mark her 90th birthday (PA Archive/PA Images)

Asked about the issue, the new Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith said he had been “delighted” to find a portrait of the Queen hanging in his office at Stormont House.

“I also recognise the importance of the Northern Ireland Office being an open and inclusive place to work, able to attract highly-skilled people from across all parts of our community in Northern Ireland,” he added. “As an employer in Northern Ireland, the NIO takes its obligations under the Northern Ireland Act and Fair Employment legislation seriously.”

In a parliamentary question response published on Wednesday, Lord Duncan – a junior minister at the NIO – said there are royal portraits at the department’s London office.

“Royal portraits hang on public display at Hillsborough Castle, and also in the London office occupied by the Northern Ireland Office,” he said in response to a question from Lord Rogan.