State visits are carefully calibrated for high-stakes diplomacy – but when Donald Trump arrived in the UK for his first Buckingham Palace wine-and-dine as President in June 2019, it is fair to say that no one knew quite what to expect.
Palace officials were aware, of course, of his unparalleled admiration for Her Late Majesty The Queen, but the thought of chaperoning the famously unpredictable leader for three days was enough to bring even the smoothest courtier out in hives.
Yet, at the end of the visit, one senior figure within the royal household leant over to give me their verdict. I was, naturally, all ears.
‘What a lovely man. Honestly! Nothing was too much trouble,’ they beamed, as my eyes widened.
‘He was respectful, courteous and delightful, really he was.’
In fairness, I had seen with my own eyes just how keen President Trump had been to make a good impression, when Queen Elizabeth led him into the Buckingham Palace Picture Gallery to inspect a display of items from the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important collections of art and antiques in the world.
It’s always a slightly stilted – but absolutely fascinating – event as the guest of honour is shown a selection of priceless historic items highlighting the lengthy relationship between their country and the UK, with the media eagerly watching.
President Trump transferred his weight nervously from foot to foot, studiously keeping his arms beside him so not to be accused of breaching protocol around the elderly monarch. At one point he even shot us an almost bashful smile, as if to signal his disbelief that he was even there next to Her Majesty.
Queen Elizabeth II and President Trump inspect the Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle in 2018
President Trump and Queen Elizabeth II attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019
And it wasn’t only the Queen who had made her mark. Sources also revealed to me that when the King, then Prince of Wales, invited President Trump and his wife for tea with himself and Queen Camilla at Clarence House, the foursome got on ‘extremely well’ – despite claims that Charles planned to lecture the President over his stance on climate change – and the meeting ran well over time.
‘In fact the President left saying what a pleasure it had been to meet Charles and they stayed in touch regularly afterwards,’ one insider says.
‘It was a success not just on a personal level, but also professional. He was completely charming and there was enormous personal warmth between him and the Prince of Wales and with the late Queen.
‘The President’s team could not have been more respectful, helpful and pleased.’
President Obama was similarly delighted when Queen Elizabeth invited his wife and young daughters for a private tea at Buckingham Palace.
She even thoughtfully arranged for Sasha and Malia to enjoy a ride in her ‘golden carriage’ around the palace grounds, something Mr Obama went onto describe as having left ‘a mark in my daughter’s lives that is still there’.
And sources tell me he enjoyed his own state visit so much in 2011 that he could be seen happily making his way down from the Belgian Suite (where VIP dignitaries stay) and wandering across the palace lawn to use the staff gym near the Royal Mews.
Today King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, will arrive in Rome for their state visit to the Republic of Italy (a consecutive visit to the Holy See to meet Pope Francis has been sadly postponed because of the pontiff’s ill-health).
President Trump and the King ‘stayed in touch regularly’ after having tea at Clarence House
The King will hold an audience with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as part of his state visit to Italy
I’ll be in Italy all week covering every step of the trip for Mail readers both online and in print.
Despite the King’s ongoing cancer treatment, there is a busy programme of events – some 19 engagements in just four days – designed to highlight, strengthen and enhance the Anglo-Italian relationship in areas as diverse as trade, the military, education and culture.
Much as with President Trump, the King –a lifelong green campaigner – and Prime Minister Meloni might not seem to be the most natural bedfellows, not least because the right-wing Italian leader has openly flirted with climate change denial.
But as he has repeatedly demonstrated since his accession to the throne, Charles has inherited his late mother’s knack for ‘soft diplomacy’.
In Rome and Ravenna, the King and his wife will meet the country’s senior leaders, enjoy a glittering state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, and be treated to a magnificent flypast over the capital by the ‘Frecce Tricolori’, the Italian Air Force aerobatic team.
‘The benefit of having warm personal relationships cannot be overestimated, particularly at times of global challenge,’ one senior royal aide emphasises.
It will make this summer’s highly anticipated private visit by President Trump to Scotland all the more important ahead of an historic second state visit next year.
The fact that he is likely to stay at either Balmoral Castle, or, perhaps, Dumfries House, both part of the King’s ‘inner sanctum’ demonstrates just how much is riding on the meeting for the British government.
Invitations have been extended, I am told, and the royal household is actively ‘liaising’ with the British government and the White House over potential dates – although there is no confirmation as yet.
But in the words of one former royal adviser: ‘If ever there were a need to a have a head of state with a non-partisan relationship with him [President Trump], then now is the time to value it.
‘The Royal Family is an asset the likes of which no other country can deploy.’
