Will Queen Elizabeth II Meet Donald Trump? White House Requests Buggy Ride For President’s UK Visit: Report

The White House has requested a ride for President Donald Trump with Queen Elizabeth II in a gold-plated carriage during his state visit to the U.K. in October, according to a report in the Times. Although the decision is not confirmed, such a procession for Trump will require a “monster” security operation — much higher than security for recent state visits, the British newspaper reported citing sources.

Trump’s controversial visit to the U.K. is expected to attract a number of protests, the Times reported Saturday. This has set off security concern for British officials.

“The vehicle which carries the president of the United States is a spectacular vehicle. It is designed to withstand a massive attack like a low-level rocket grenade. If he’s in that vehicle he is incredibly well protected and on top of that it can travel at enormous speed. If he is in a golden coach being dragged up the Mall by a couple of horses, the risk factor is dramatically increased,” a security source told the Times.

“There may well be protections in that coach such as bulletproof glass, but they are limited. In particular it is very flimsy. It would not be able to put up much resistance in the face of a rocket propelled grenade or high-powered ammunition. Armor-piercing rounds would make a very bad show of things,” the source added.

The White House, however, called the report "completely false," according to People magazine.

“We have not even begun working on details for this trip,” a White House spokeswoman said, the magazine reported.

The tradition of world leaders riding on the carriage pulled by six white horses along the Mall from the Royal Mews to Buckingham Palace is not uncommon. In 2011, then-President Barack Obama opted out of the carriage ride and chose a bullet-and-bomb-proof car during his visit.

In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping rode in an armor-plated closed carriage instead of the queen’s gold-plated buggy during his state visit. Also that year, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto chose the carriage ride.

Trump’s U.K. state visit has led to protests in the country with several lawmakers saying his trip will cause an embarrassment to the queen. British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump for the state visit when she met him in the White House in January. The invitation triggered a petition calling for the government to rescind the invitation because of Trump’s “well documented misogyny and vulgarity."