Queen Elizabeth II found Donald Trump and his family to be “gracious” and “wonderful guests,” despite recent claims suggesting the late monarch considered him “very rude,” a former Buckingham Palace official claimed, as reported by The New York Times.
Contradictory allegations in upcoming biography
This claim contradicts allegations made in Craig Brown’s upcoming biography, A Voyage Around the Queen, which asserts that the Queen confided in her staff about her annoyance with Trump’s behavior during their meetings.
Former aide refutes allegations
A former aide with close knowledge of the Queen’s views refuted these claims. The aide told The Post, “I know this to be untrue, firsthand.” The aide continued, “I spoke to the Queen subsequently after the State visit, and other members of the royal household, and she told me she found them [the Trumps] to be really gracious and wonderful guests to have in the palace.”
Trump’s visits and protocol breaches
The Trump family was hosted by the Queen twice during his presidency: once for a working trip in July 2018 and again for a state visit in June 2019. During the state visit, Trump brought his wife Melania and four of his five children — Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany — to stay at Buckingham Palace. The former staffer recalled, “She said they were a lovely family to have in the palace.”
Brown writes that the Queen made her opinions about the current Republican presidential candidate clear during a private lunch. In the book, Brown claims, “A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.”
Allegations about Trump’s marriage
The book also notes the Queen’s views on Trump’s marriage, stating, “She also believed President Trump ‘must have some sort of arrangement’ with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him?”
The former aide contradicted these allegations, saying, “I always found her to be incredibly discreet in the private lunches that she held.” The aide added, “It doesn’t ring true; as someone who worked for her, it’s not the kind of thing she would say.”
The Queen’s private views
The aide elaborated, “It contradicts directly her recollection to me of the state visit and of the general atmospherics at the time… I find the whole thing difficult to believe because it wasn’t in her character. She was so impossible to read on certain things by design. She didn’t want to be partisan, and people would project their own thoughts on her.”
Further disputing the claims, the source said, “I worked for her for over three years and, for the most part, she was certainly inscrutable.”
Trump’s protocol breaches during visits
During his visits, Trump committed several breaches of royal protocol. At Windsor Castle in July 2018, he walked in front of the Queen while inspecting the Guard of Honor. In June 2019, during the state banquet at Buckingham Palace, Trump placed his hand on Queen Elizabeth’s back, another breach of protocol.
Although the royal family’s website states that there are “no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family,” traditional etiquette suggests a neck bow for men and a curtsy for women.
Queen’s hosting philosophy
Reflecting on these events, the palace source stated, “I remember someone once asking her about the protocol for a particular person on a different state visit. She expressed very clearly that her interest was to be the best host she could be and to make our guest feel comfortable.”
The source added, “She wasn’t really interested in people following protocol. She wanted them to feel comfortable and welcome. With respect to Trump, as he was reviewing those troops, she would have only been worried he was in the right place at the right time. The book seems to misuse her ethos and approach to these kinds of visits.”
Gifts and final remarks
During the state visit, the Queen presented Trump with an abridged first edition of Winston Churchill’s book on World War II and gave Melania a “specially commissioned silver box” with a “handcrafted enamel lid” designed to match the ceiling of Buckingham Palace’s music room.
Trump commented on their meeting, stating, “I have such a great relationship, and we were laughing and having fun. And her people said she hasn’t had so much fun in 25 years.”
When asked about Brown’s book, Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told The Post, “This is nothing more than fake news intended to use made-up, salacious fabrications in order to sell copies of a book that belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section.”
Contradictory allegations in upcoming biography
This claim contradicts allegations made in Craig Brown’s upcoming biography, A Voyage Around the Queen, which asserts that the Queen confided in her staff about her annoyance with Trump’s behavior during their meetings.
Former aide refutes allegations
A former aide with close knowledge of the Queen’s views refuted these claims. The aide told The Post, “I know this to be untrue, firsthand.” The aide continued, “I spoke to the Queen subsequently after the State visit, and other members of the royal household, and she told me she found them [the Trumps] to be really gracious and wonderful guests to have in the palace.”
Trump’s visits and protocol breaches
The Trump family was hosted by the Queen twice during his presidency: once for a working trip in July 2018 and again for a state visit in June 2019. During the state visit, Trump brought his wife Melania and four of his five children — Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany — to stay at Buckingham Palace. The former staffer recalled, “She said they were a lovely family to have in the palace.”
Brown writes that the Queen made her opinions about the current Republican presidential candidate clear during a private lunch. In the book, Brown claims, “A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.”
Allegations about Trump’s marriage
The book also notes the Queen’s views on Trump’s marriage, stating, “She also believed President Trump ‘must have some sort of arrangement’ with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him?”
The former aide contradicted these allegations, saying, “I always found her to be incredibly discreet in the private lunches that she held.” The aide added, “It doesn’t ring true; as someone who worked for her, it’s not the kind of thing she would say.”
The Queen’s private views
The aide elaborated, “It contradicts directly her recollection to me of the state visit and of the general atmospherics at the time… I find the whole thing difficult to believe because it wasn’t in her character. She was so impossible to read on certain things by design. She didn’t want to be partisan, and people would project their own thoughts on her.”
Further disputing the claims, the source said, “I worked for her for over three years and, for the most part, she was certainly inscrutable.”
Trump’s protocol breaches during visits
During his visits, Trump committed several breaches of royal protocol. At Windsor Castle in July 2018, he walked in front of the Queen while inspecting the Guard of Honor. In June 2019, during the state banquet at Buckingham Palace, Trump placed his hand on Queen Elizabeth’s back, another breach of protocol.
Although the royal family’s website states that there are “no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family,” traditional etiquette suggests a neck bow for men and a curtsy for women.
Queen’s hosting philosophy
Reflecting on these events, the palace source stated, “I remember someone once asking her about the protocol for a particular person on a different state visit. She expressed very clearly that her interest was to be the best host she could be and to make our guest feel comfortable.”
The source added, “She wasn’t really interested in people following protocol. She wanted them to feel comfortable and welcome. With respect to Trump, as he was reviewing those troops, she would have only been worried he was in the right place at the right time. The book seems to misuse her ethos and approach to these kinds of visits.”
Gifts and final remarks
During the state visit, the Queen presented Trump with an abridged first edition of Winston Churchill’s book on World War II and gave Melania a “specially commissioned silver box” with a “handcrafted enamel lid” designed to match the ceiling of Buckingham Palace’s music room.
Trump commented on their meeting, stating, “I have such a great relationship, and we were laughing and having fun. And her people said she hasn’t had so much fun in 25 years.”
When asked about Brown’s book, Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told The Post, “This is nothing more than fake news intended to use made-up, salacious fabrications in order to sell copies of a book that belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section.”