Belgian Monarchy Angered Over New Burger King Ad

Representatives of the Belgian monarch, King Philippe, are not pleased with a new Burger King ad that asks people to choose between the king and the company’s mascot.

“We disapprove of this approach,” royal spokesman Pierre Emmanuel de Bauw said.

“Since it is for commercial purposes, we would not have given our authorization.”

The king appears as a cartoon in the ad, but the use of the king’s image must be approved by the royal family, approval Burger King did not receive.

Found on Whoistheking.be, the ad announces the company’s launch in Belgium at the end of June and is set up as a mock poll, stating: “Two Kings. One crown. Who will rule? Vote now…”

If viewers choose King Philippe, messages appear such as “Are you sure? He won’t cook you fries,” and eventually the “Yes” option for Philippe disappears, leaving only “No.” The poll is open until June 19.

A spokeswoman for Burger Brands Belgium, Shana Van den Broeck, said the company is considering changing the ad campaign.

“We are deliberating on how to proceed,” Broeck said. “Should we make a change to our campaign we would communicate that.”

A Burger King representative told EFE, the Spanish news agency, that it had not received any communication from the monarchy or the royal family.