How Will Charles Handle Trump's State Visit?

Exactly one month to go: The world, and royal fans, will be watching

One picture, a million thoughts. Trump’s first state visit in 2019. Getty.

Exactly one month from today, the UK will host Donald Trump for an “unprecedented”, in the words of the BBC, second state visit. The visit will run from the 17^th of September to the 19^th. It will be hosted from Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is currently undergoing extensive renovations. The BBC also notes, “Traditionally, second-term presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch.” Additionally, “Any visit from a US president brings with it security challenges, and Trump's programme is unlikely to include events that are public-facing. During his 2019 visit, there was no procession along The Mall for security reasons and Trump was mostly flown between locations instead of traveling by road.”

The Telegraph is reporting that Trump’s visit was purposefully scheduled during a parliamentary recess. Which allows officials to sidestep the issue of Trump addressing Parliament, like French President Macron did this summer. Many UK media reports also suggest that Buckingham Palace was not keen to host a second state visit for Trump. They proposed instead a private visit this summer with, perhaps, another state visit next year or after. This was vetoed by Keir Starmer’s government.

Of course, the backdrop to all of this is the international and domestic issues Trump brings, which includes threats to take Canada by force to make it part of the US. Charles is Canada’s Head of State. And Trump’s support of Putin in the war with Ukraine. The UK and the British Royal Family have been unwaveringly adamant in their support for the Ukraine. As we have discussed many times in our IG stories, all of Europe knows that if the Ukraine falls to Putin, the road to overtaking the rest of Europe opens to Putin. (By way of example, the Ukraine has the largest army in Europe. If they can’t successfully defend themselves, it creates a very scary future for the rest of Europe. Under normal circumstances, the U.S. government would understand how important a free and stable Europe is to the welfare of the U.S.)

We largely ignored Trump’s state visit in 2019 to the UK. However, this visit is very different. And it’s become a topic in our DMs too.

This Anon is a dedicated royal watcher. But her feelings express the gravity of this state visit.

While the British Royal Family is seen as not being political, that pertains to inside the UK. They are an arm of the UK government and serve all political parties there, whoever is in power. That’s where their “not political” stance comes into play. However, they do take political positions on behalf of the UK government. For instance, the Ukraine war. William and Kate have attended several engagements focused on supporting the Ukraine. Charles has hosted Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, Kate has hosted Mrs. Zelenskyy. Of course, all of this is under the purview of the UK government. The Royal Family’s famous “soft diplomacy” is seen as a secret weapon of sorts to protect and enhance the UK government’s interests. But, it is too simplistic to simply brush aside Trump’s state visit this time as not a big deal because the Royal Family “isn’t political”. Especially as Trump threatens Canada, where Charles is the Head of State. Indeed, the Royal Family has their own image to maintain. Being on the right side of history is part of that.

It’s also noteworthy, Trump’s role in the Epstein scandal. Trump, Epstein, and Prince Andrew were close. It’s a horrific thread that ties Trump to Andrew and by association, the Royal Family. So, it’s not just a professional role, but Trump has had a large impact on the personal lives of members of the Royal Family.

I hope we do not see any pictures of Kate close to Trump. Disgraceful tweet. Credit: DJT Twitter

For those that aren’t familiar with this, Trump, a close friend of Epstein’s, also attacked Kate when French paparazzi illegally used long lens cameras to obtain pictures of Kate sunbathing topless with William. They were vacationing in France on a vineyard estate own by extended royal family. David Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret’s son, owned the vineyard. The estate was so secluded from the public, the paparazzi were several miles away when they took the pictures from a main road. The photographers ultimately served jail time for their breach of privacy and the reckless release of personal pictures. Trump said Kate had “no one to blame” but herself and defended the release of the pictures for profit.

Ivanka Trump has a well documented history of being inspired by Kate’s looks. Here, she’s wearing Kate’s famous gold dress, only in green. Credit: Ivanka Trump’s IG

Also, Ivanka Trump has been spotted in many of Kate’s outfits over the years. Either wearing the exact same ensembles as Kate wore or reimagining a very similar piece, soon after Kate’s appearance in it. It’s clear she’s a Kate fan.

I do not think the Royal Family are Trump supporters at all. This idea seemed to get a lot of traction around the inauguration and I do not believe that’s true. Cosplaying similar outfits does not make someone friends, even if that’s the intended PR play. Kim Kardashian tried the same thing years ago.

As we get closer and closer to the state visit, we will hear more details about the events planned. Some brush this off as “just the job” of the Royal Family. But, this time, it’s much bigger than that. This is different. And the Royal Family has their own personal image to maintain too, separate and apart from the UK government’s.

I think Charles is going to focus on the relationahip between the UK and the United States, not on Trump. On the people, on Americans, and not on our current administration. I think he will applaud our historic relationship and look to our history for inspiration. He’s very aware the world will be watching and pouring over his words. I think he will show support for the American people, understanding we are in a crisis too.

We will not be covering this extensively, just the important moments. I know that for many Americans, we get Trump news 24/7 and royal watching is our break. But, we wanted to address this state visit because there is a lot of concern surrounding it.