What a Liberty! Statue of Liberty ditches USA for England in London stunt

• The Statue of Liberty was spotted parading round London ahead of the World Cup

• A stunt by Ladbrokes saw Lady Liberty donning England colours as the Three Lions bid to bring football home

• Nearly one in five England fans believe Thomas Tuchel's side will win the World Cup, with almost a third expecting them to reach the final

Lady Liberty has decided to switch allegiance ahead of the World Cup after being spotted parading around London on Monday morning, much to the surprise of the public.

In a surprise stunt, created by bookmaker Ladbrokes, the iconic statue turned heads across the capital on Monday morning. Inspired by the thousands of England fans set to travel stateside, the Statue of Liberty was seen kitted out in an England shirt and scarf, visiting iconic London landmarks such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus before taking a pit-stop outside the US Embassy to show where her new loyalties lie.

Being chauffeured around the city in the back of a red mini the replica statue caught the eye of thousands of surprised - and somewhat confused – onlookers, who stopped to take photos and admire the unusual scene.  

The stunt comes as excitement builds ahead of England’s World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17, with optimism among fans hitting new heights. According to recent Ladbrokes research, nearly one in five England fans (17%) believe the Three Lions will go all the way and lift the trophy, while almost a third (30%) expect Thomas Tuchel’s side to reach the final.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said:

"With thousands of England fans heading to the US this summer, we thought it was only fair to bring a little piece of America over here — and put the Statue of Liberty in an England shirt while we’re at it.

“Seeing Lady Liberty cruising past London landmarks definitely caught people’s attention, but if this England team can go all the way, there’ll be plenty more reason to celebrate. Our research shows the belief is clearly there among fans — and Lady Liberty is fully on board."