New royal statue of the Queen 'looks like Mrs Doubtfire'

A new sculpture of the late Queen Elizabeth II has sparked a pushback online, with some likening it to Mrs Doubtfire.

The statue of the late Queen alongside Prince Philip was created by artist Anto Brennan and unveiled last Friday in Antrim Castle Gardens in Northern Ireland. The sculpture also features two of their many corgis.

It was commissioned by Newtownabbey Borough Council and Antrim and was intended to "capture Her Majesty in a dignified pose, reflecting her grace, steadfastness and lifelong dedication to public service".

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council shared images of the sculpture on its social media channels, however, it drew quite a lot of criticism online and comments have since been turned off.

Before long, photos surfaced on X/Twitter, where spectators didn't hold back.

"It is truly awful - it's bearing more of a resemblance to Hetty Wainthrop crossed with Mrs Doubtfire than Her Late Majesty," one person wrote. "It looks nothing like the Queen or the Prince.."

"Statue of queen derided as looking more like Mrs Doubtfire, a tribute to Robin Williams," another penned.

Even Piers Morgan chimed in on the action, calling the statue "diabolical."

DUP councillor John Smyth was among those who attended the unveiling last week, who said he was "surprised" by the sculpture.

"I’m glad to say I wasn’t on the committee that designed it, as such," he said, adding that it "looked OK from a distance".

"I thought the facial could be slightly better. Compared to the Duke of Edinburgh statue, which I was involved in, (which) I’d say is a better one," Smyth continued. "It has more likeness (to the Prince), and definitely looks well. It’s like any work in bronze, it’s hard to make anything a perfect replica of any person."

As for any planned changes, he said: "We can’t change it, it would cost more money. People will forget about it in a few weeks’ time."

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