President Trump Will Meet with Queen Elizabeth on Friday
Despite months of controversy surrounding his visit to the UK, Donald Trump will finally meet with Queen Elizabeth at the end of this week. According to Reuters, the President will visit her at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Earlier this month US Ambassador to the UK Robert Wood Johnson confirmed the news. "He has to see the head of state. Putting his foot on the ground of British soil, it's job one-very, very important, very symbolic," Johnson told Sky News.
"Meeting Her Majesty is the most important thing, because she's the head of state, and from there on, it'll be what the president wants to do."
In addition to the trip to Windsor, Trump will also tour Blenheim Palace, the 18th-century home where Winston Churchill grew up, and visit Chequers, Theresa May's official country home.
"He will hold bilateral talks with the Prime Minister during his visit," the Prime Minister's spokesman previously told Sky News.
Later, he will travel to Scotland. An itinerary for that portion of his trip has yet to be made public.
Back in January, Trump canceled a visit to the United Kingdom amid threats of protest. He tweeted that the reason was because he was unhappy that the U.S. embassy was moving.
"Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars," he tweeted."Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!"
Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018
In the post, Trump incorrectly blamed Obama for the embassy move, an initiative that, according to NBC, was started under the Bush administration amid security concerns.
At the time, London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, "Many Londoners have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here while he is pursuing such a divisive agenda. It seems he’s finally got that message."
Many Londoners have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here while he is pursuing such a divisive agenda. It seems he’s finally got that message. pic.twitter.com/YD0ZHuWtr3
- Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) January 12, 2018
In October of last year, the London Evening Standard reported that the trip has been "stripped down" and would be a working trip as opposed to a formal state visit.
That change came after months of controversy regarding the visit. It was initially announced in January of 2017 during Prime Minister Theresa may's visit to the White House, when she extended an invitation to President Donald Trump and the First Lady from Queen Elizabeth II.
"I have today been able to convey her majesty the Queen's hope President Trump and the first lady would pay a state visit to the United Kingdom later this year, and I'm delighted the president accepted that invitation," May said at the time, and Trump reportedly hoped to play golf with Her Majesty, and to emulate the photogenic moments captured on Ronald Reagan's State Visit in the '80s.
The notion of Trump meeting with the Queen immediately prompted a petition to block the visit. It has since garnered nearly 1.9 million signatures. "Donald Trump's well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales," reads the document.
The controversy was compounded by deeply unpopular statements Trump made on Twitter, following the terrorist attack at London Bridge, about Mayor Khan. "The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests and his remarks in effect put the visit on hold for some time," wrote the British publication The Guardian at the time.
You Might Also Like
