A new statue of Queen Elizabeth II has ignited the fury of the internet, with critics far and wide blasting the bronze likeness for looking more like the cross-dressing character Mrs. Doubtfire than the late queen.
The judgement began not long after local officials unveiled the statue at Antrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland over the weekend. Though the Antrim and Newtownabbey borough council that commissioned the statue has expressed pride in the artwork, saying that it captured the queen “in a dignified pose, reflecting her grace, steadfastness and lifelong dedication to public service”, others took to social media to call it an “insult” to the queen's memory, “offensive” and “dreadful.”
One commenter wrote on the post announcing the unveiling that the statue looked “more like Mrs. Doubtfire”—the cross-dressing nanny played by Robin Williams—“than our late queen.”
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“We have to be honest, it does not resemble the queen in any shape or form,” Antrim and Newtownabbey councillor Vera McWilliam told BBC News.
Several commenters took offense at the statue’s outfit, which depicted the queen in a knee-length skirt, heavy jacket, sturdy boots and a scarf covering her head. “She looks like a frump,” one commenter wrote, while another suggested that the council ask Temu for its money back.
The statue, made by local artist Anto Brennan, stands next to a likeness of the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, and two corgis.
“At least the dogs look good,” wrote one commenter.
