United States President Donald Trump met with Queen Elizabeth II on Monday during two-day visit to Britain that’s meant to strengthen ties between the two nations, although the trip was immediately at risk of being overshadowed by Brexit turmoil and a political feud with London’s mayor.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump flew to Buckingham Palace in Marine One, landing on a lawn where they were greeted by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. They received a royal gun salute as they walked to the palace where the queen greeted the president with a smile.
During their visit to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II gave President Donald Trump and first lady Melania a look at items in the Royal Collection, one of the largest collections of art and other objects in the world.
Some of the exhibits in a pink gallery are items with a special historical significance to the US.
One is labelled “A Tale of Two Georges: George III and George Washington” and includes a copy of the Declaration of Independence and a letter about the Constitution from Washington to John Jay, a founding father of the US and the nation’s first chief justice.
Trump and Melania also paid their respects at the grave of an unknown British warrior who is buried at Westminster Abbey. They were greeted inside the abbey by Prince Andrew and clergy.
They stood silently at the tomb of the British soldier whose body was brought from France to be buried at the abbey in November 1920. The grave contains soil from France and is covered by a slab of black marble.
The president and first lady prayed and bent down to touch a colourful wreath, which had red and white roses and bright blue and pink flowers.
During Trump’s trip to Europe, he will also be commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Queen Elizabeth II gave the US president the first edition of Winston Churchill’s “The Second World War.” The book is Churchill’s classic literary account of the war effort that united Britain and the US.
The Queen also gave Trump a three-piece Duofold pen set using an obsidian design that was made exclusively for the queen.
The monarch gave Melania Trump a specially commissioned silver box with a handcrafted enamel lid. The Queen will be hosting the Trumps at a dinner on Monday night at Buckingham Palace.
Later, the president and first lady had afternoon tea with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, at their official residence in central London.
The private tea was a rare chance for Charles, the heir to the throne, to talk with Trump in an informal setting without cameras present. It’s not known if Charles and Trump discussed climate change, which Charles views as a grave threat and Trump sees as a hoax.
It was a high-profile assignment for Charles, who is taking on more official duties as his mother, 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, slightly reduces her schedule.
She has stopped making long foreign trips and has given Charles and her other children and grandchildren a greater role representing her at events.
Trump arrives in combative mood
President Trump arrived on his state visit to Britain in a combative mood, following up his weekend interventions over Brexit with a broadside against London’s “loser” mayor.
The president’s plane had not even touched down when he tweeted that Sadiq Khan, who has been highly critical of the red-carpet welcome laid on for Trump, had done a “terrible job”.
The president called the mayor a “stone cold loser” before adding: “In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit.”
