Buckingham Palace has formally requested that a modified image of the Queen wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat and a QAnon brooch be removed from a ‘Trump Train’ bus seen at a political rally held by allies of the former US president, according to a new report by BuzzFeed News.
A Palace spokesperson told the news outlet that they were aware of the fact that the Queen’s image was being used, saying “representations asking for [the photo’s] removal have been made.”
The bus, which is owned and operated by a supporter of Mr Trump named Buddy Hall, became a constant fixture at Trump rallies during the 2020 presidential campaign.
It features a series of doctored images, including Mr Trump’s head on a boxer’s body and former US president Ronald Reagan wearing a Trump hat.
According to its GoFundMe page, the ‘Trump Train’ bus was created as an “unofficial campaign tour bus to support the 2020 re-election of Mr Trump.
The rally, which was held in Florida by Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene last week, saw both candidates declaring Mr Trump as the reigning leader of their party.
In response to the image, a spokesperson for Greene told BuzzFeedNews that they were not affiliated with the bus. “You do know what a meme is, right?”
And Harlan Hill, a spokesperson for Gaetz, said: “We’re sure Her Majesty has greater concerns than motor vehicle traffic in [the retirement community where the rally was held] The Villages, Florida”.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the matter when approached by The Independent.
It follows the news that a golden Nintendo Wii made specially for the Queen was revealed to be available for purchase for $300,000 (£213,000).
Created as a PR stunt by hardware brand THQ to coincide with a marketing campaign for Big Family Games, the unorthodox gift was reportedly delivered to Buckingham Palace, where it was turned away, as many gifts to the royal family are, in accordance with the palace’s gift guidelines.
The current owner of the console revealed that he was selling the product, which he described as “the ultimate console database” because he is “moving on with life” and could use the money to purchase a new home.
