Dyson fan flies off the shelves after being spotted in royal photo

It is the kind of influencer power that money can’t buy: after being photographed in the Queen’s private apartment, Dyson’s upmarket fans are selling out.

The £500 gadget inserted itself into history on Wednesday when its space age design stood out among the ornate furnishings in the audience room at Buckingham Palace, as the monarch was pictured meeting the new prime minister, Boris Johnson.

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But it has been hard for royalists to get their hands on the exact model – which also doubles as an air purifier – because it was discontinued in March (although it can still be found online). A cheaper fan has already sold out on the John Lewis website – although the equivalent product with all the bells and whistles which costs £549, is still in stock. The inadvertent product placement coincided with the heatwave gripping Britain.

The success of Dyson vacuum cleaners, fans and hairdryers have turned its founder, the inventor Sir James Dyson, into a billionaire many times over. The company spotted a gap in the market for sleek, souped-up versions of unloved domestic appliances – its fans, for example, boast of “air multiplier technology” and the ability to suck in six gallons (27.3 litres) of air per second.

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Last year, Dyson’s global sales broke through £4bn as it expanded overseas, with the company’s success making the inventor richer than the Queen with a personal fortune of £12.6bn, according to the Sunday Times rich list. Despite its founder championing Brexit, Dyson said earlier this year it was moving its headquarters to Singapore where the businessman has just bought a second luxury property, complete with waterfall and a swimming pool that winds its way through the house.

A Dyson fan may be good enough for the Queen but what do John Lewis’s shoppers think? One reviewer on its website says it’s just a “very expensive glorified fan heater”. But others are more effusive: “I have no idea how big a room it could cool, but it managed our sitting room with no difficulty.” Perhaps Buckingham Palace is the acid test for its cooling powers?