Belgian king in spat with fast food giant

BRUSSELS - Burger King is in trouble with Belgium's monarchy over an advertising campaign asking Belgians to vote online to "crown" the global fast-food giant the true ruler of the country where the United States brand will launch next month.

Representatives of Belgium's King Philippe on Monday asked the local unit of Burger King, owned by Restaurant Brands International, for an explanation.

"We told them that we were not happy with them using an image of the king in their campaign," palace spokesman Pierre-Emmanuel De Bauw told Reuters news agency, adding that the monarch's image - he appears in cartoon form - could not be used for commerce.