A past Buckingham Palace official claimed that the late king considered Donald Trump and his family to get “gracious” and “wonderful customers” in contrast to new assertions made in Craig Brown’s forthcoming history” A Voyage Around the Queen” that the former president was “very harsh” during his visits.
According to the upcoming biography, the Queen claimed that the Queen had told her staff that she was upset by Trump’s behavior at her meetings, particularly his tendency to glance over her shoulder as if looking for someone else to find them more interesting.
However, a former aide with close knowledge of the Queen’s views said that these claims are untrue. According to a New York Post report, the aide mentioned that the Queen told him that she found the Trumps to be very gracious and wonderful guests at the palace after Trump’s state visit.
Queen hosted Trump twice during his presidency
During Trump’s presidency, Queen Elizabeth II hosted him in the UK twice: first on a working trip in July 2018, and then for a state visit in June 2019, during which he was accompanied by his wife Melania and four of his children.
Additionally, the biography suggests that during a lunch, the Queen privately criticized Trump, calling him “very rude” and remonstrated his relationship to Melania. The palace source, however, disputed this, saying that the queen would never make such remarks during her private lunches.
Queen “did n’t care about strict adherence to protocol,” she claimed.
Trump’s travels included making inappropriate moves while standing in front of the Queen at Windsor Castle and putting his hand on her back during a state banquet, according to the aide. The former aide, however, made it clear that the Queen was more focused on following the rules than strictly adhering to them.
Queen’s gifts to Trumps
The Queen gave Melania a specially commissioned silver box and an abridged first edition of Winston Churchill’s book on World War II during her state visit, reflecting her thoughtful approach to hosting.
