President Donald Trump said he feels “great respect” for the Royal Family as he named September for the historic second state visit to the United Kingdom.
King Charles III is to host President Donald Trump for a state visit to the United Kingdom in September, the President said in remarks at the White House.
A state visit is the most formal expression of honour Britain bestows on foreign leaders, being hosted by the monarch rather than by politicians, and this visit is to be historic as no other foreign leader in modern history has been given two state visits.
Reasons for this double-honour given including President Trump having two non-consecutive terms, or Queen Elizabeth II who hosted President Trump in 2019 having since died, and there being a new monarch — Charles III — to host.
While both are certainly part of the decision, at its heart, there is also a need for the United Kingdom to maintain its close relationship with the United States. A Royal honour, given President Trump’s undeniable affection for the Royal Family, is a logical approach.
Speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump reflected on the invitation that had been extended by letter in February, personally delivered by the British Prime Minister, and said: “Well, I was invited by the King, and by the country, great country, we’re going to do a second… ‘fest’, that’s what it is, it’s a fest, it’s beautiful.
Speaking of the King, with whom President Trump has met several times and is understood to frequently correspond with by letter, he continued: “It’s an honour to be a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, [Prince] William. It’s really just a great respect for the family and it’s a really great honour. I think we’re setting a date for September.”
The remark marks the first time the visit timings have been discussed in public. President Trump said the visit is to be “bigger than the last one”, which he said was “incredible” and “a great honour to be so chosen”.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph states the original options presented to President Trump were a visit to the Royal Family’s properties in Scotland, either Balmoral castle or Dumfries house.
These are some of the more private Royal houses in the United Kingdom, and Balmoral has long been where the Family has retreated from the public eye. The fact that they are in Scotland is also thought to have been an advantage, as President Trump has property of his own there, and his mother was a Scottish émigré to the U.S..
Nevertheless, it is stated he has preferred Windsor Castle, the vast and ancient Royal residence in London, where he was hosted by the late Queen in 2019.
The announcement of a month for the Trump state visit has triggered the hard left in the United Kingdom to start considering how it can protest the visit, as they did during the last. The Morning Star, the newspaper of Britain’s remaining communists, thundered this week after the President’s comments that: “Opposition to Trump can unite key left struggles against the far right, against war and for greater state intervention in our economy.
“Maximising this opportunity depends on left forces co-operating wherever there is common ground to do so, and bringing as many as possible into a united campaign against the state visit.”
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