This week, the world was captivated by images of Queen Elizabeth II meeting President Donald Trump. It was easy to see why. They were two people no one would have ever put together. One was a 92-year-old monarch who had been reigning over the UK for 65 years and had gone about her job with nothing but dignity. The other was a 72-year-old businessman-turned-reality-TV-star-turned-president who was known for causing turbulence wherever he went.
The meeting between the two seemed to go well enough, however, it has allegedly since come to light that other members of the royal family were keen to remove themselves from this narrative, with The Times reporting that two senior members of the Windsor clan refused to meet the 45th POTUS.
Prince Charles and Prince William were allegedly unwilling to greet Trump on his visit to Britain, leaving the Queen to spend time with the US leader alone. According to the British newspaper, the first two members of the royal family in line to the throne made it clear during informal discussions about the arrangements that they did not wish to take part.
This report challenges the official line about the president's four-day trip; both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace have stated that, because Trump’s tour was not a state visit, the only plan drawn up saw the Queen greeting the president and his wife Melania alone.
Nonetheless, The Times has claimed they have a 'well-placed source' who has stated that senior courtiers discussed which royals to include and shared concerns about Charles’s and William’s reluctance to meet the billionaire.
"This business of Prince Charles and Prince William not being there for the Trump visit was a snub," the source reportedly said, adding that they ‘simply refused’ to attend. "It's a very, very unusual thing for the Queen to be there on her own. Usually, she is accompanied by somebody."
Ever since the Queen's husband Prince Philip retired earlier in the year, she has often been accompanied by her son Prince Charles at events, and he apparently had the choice to be at the Trump meeting but chose not to. The source claimed: "He goes to what he wants to go to, and if he had wanted to be there he could have been."
Nonetheless, the first two in line to the UK throne did have other engagements during the president's stay, with Prince Charles attending a board meeting for his company AG Carrick at Highgrove and an event with Gloucestershire police, and the Duke of Cambridge busy taking part in a charity polo match. In addition, the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, had private engagements to attend.
It appears the Queen herself wasn't too thrilled to meet Trump, with a Whitehall official involved in making the arrangements for Trump’s visit reportedly adding that his time with the Queen was "kept to the bare minimum".
Any Brits protesting during the former reality TV star's visit will be happy to hear that he is on his way out of the country, heading to Helsinki where he is due to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday.
