Melania Trump Wears Valentino Cape for Tea, Buckingham Palace Reception
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WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS: On the worldwide stage, First Lady Melania Trump is known to make a grand entrance, and this afternoon’s tea at Clarence House was no exception.
FLOTUS arrived in a dramatic lemon yellow-colored cape from Valentino. The sculptural design by Pierpaolo Piccioli was striking, but being recognized is essential to the backdrop for the setting, a two-day NATO meeting with 29 global leaders marking the alliance’s 70th anniversary.
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Trump sported a bougainvillea pink cashmere and silk knit dress from her go-to stylist Hervé Pierre and coordinating sky-high stilettos from Christian Louboutin. Fans of the Atelier Caito for Hervé Pierre label won’t find this frock in any of the select specialty stores where the collection is available. It is believed to be a one-of-a-kind creation made for the occasion.
Earlier in the day, President Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron crossed swords, so to speak, with differing views of NATO’s future.
On Tuesday night they and other world leaders descended upon Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Perhaps the first lady’s lemony color choice was meant to be an homage to the queen who has a fondness for strong-armed colors.
At Clarence House, the Duchess of Cornwall was more low-key, wearing a red, long-sleeve, knee-length dress with a black jacket and triple strand of pearls.
After the regal festivities, the President Trump and his European counterparts will be back to business Wednesday to hash out more world affairs.
Trump tweeted this afternoon that his statements on NATO “triggered some reactions…we can’t put money and pay the cost of our soldiers’ lives without being clear on the fundamentals of what NATO should be. Tomorrow, I will stand up for the French and European interests.”
While Trump may have been his outspoken self on topics ranging from the future of NATO to his impeachment hearings, he took pains to steer clear of U.K. general election talk, although it was clearly hard for him not to side with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservative party.
The U.K. general election is on Dec. 12, and Johnson had made it clear in a recent radio interview that he did not want Trump taking sides. “What we traditionally don’t do is get involved in one another’s election campaigns,” Johnson told LBC radio, after praising the special relationship between the U.K. and the U.S.
Pressed by reporters to comment on the election earlier in the day, the President Trump said: “I don’t want to complicate it. I’ll stay out of the election. I think Boris is very capable, and he will do a good job. I can work with anybody, I am a very easy person to work with.”
Pushed further by pool reporters, Trump said: “Look, I’ve won a lot of elections for a lot of people (but) this is a different country. I love this country, I love a lot of countries, but I’m representing the U.S.”
The Trumps’ final stop of the night was at Number 10 Downing Street to reconvene with Johnson and other world leaders. Meanwhile, back in Washington, D.C., U.S. House Democrats released the final report from their impeachment inquiry into Trump.
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