The White House is insisting President Donald Trump's visit to London in October include a golden carriage ride with Queen Elizabeth, The Times of London reported Saturday.
Officials warn the royal treatment, however, will require a "monster" security operation – far greater than for any recent state visit, the newspaper reported.
"If he’s in that vehicle he is incredibly well protected and on top of that it can travel at enormous speed," an unnamed security source told the Times. "If he is in a golden coach being dragged up the Mall by a couple of horses, the risk factor is dramatically increased."
The Mall is a tree-lined strip leading up to Buckingham Palace.
The source added that bulletproof glass could be put on the carriage, but it wouldn't protect against high-powered weapons.
"It would not be able to put up much resistance in the face of a rocket propelled grenade or high-powered ammunition," the source told the newspaper. "Armor-piercing rounds would make a very bad show of things."
President Barack Obama took his armored car to Buckingham Palace when he visited the United Kingdom in 2011. Russian President Vladimir Putin rode in an open carriage with her majesty during a 2003 visit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping took a carriage ride with the Queen in 2015, but sources told The Times security will be significantly higher during Trump's fall visit.
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