US President Donald Trump recently met the Queen for the first time on his long-awaited visit to the UK, but while he had wife Melania by his side, the Queen attended the meeting without any of her own family.
The British monarch regularly holds public engagements alone, but according to new claims in UK newspaper The Times, the rest of the royal family deliberately chose to snub the controversial president on this occasion.
The publication claims Prince Charles and Prince William – the first two in line to the throne – made it clear they did not want to be involved in the four-day trip.
Since Trump’s presence wasn’t an official state visit, the usual pomp and fair was neglected for a more low-key meeting with the Queen, however a source claimed to the news outlet that Charles and William actively avoided Trump in an outright “snub”.
“They simply refused to attend. It’s a very, very unusual thing for the Queen to be there on her own,” the source added. “Usually she is accompanied by somebody. Prince Charles has been substituting for Philip a lot recently.”
It comes after footage emerged of Trump making a major royal faux pas by walking in front of the Queen at the start of their meeting, essentially cutting her off and forcing her to walk back around him.
As the pair inspected her honour guard, Trump was seen walking slightly ahead of Her Majesty before she appeared to gesture for him to walk on ahead. However, he then stopped and forced her to manoeuvre around him.
The moment did not go unnoticed on social media, as fans flocked online to share their shock at the awkward moment. While one wrote: “I’m no royalty expert, but I’m confident cutting the Queen off is frowned upon,” another added: “Wow, lol. Even if she wasn’t the Queen, wouldn’t you let an elderly lady walk ahead of you?? He acts like he was raised in a barn.”
Melania ditched her usual glamorous style, perhaps aware that the Queen does not approve of revealing clothing, for a more demure look as she donned a sophisticated cream jacket and matching pencil skirt for the royal occasion.
Following the historic event, the first lady, 48, posted a heartfelt message about her day with Her Majesty online, alongside a selection of photos showing her and Donald beaming with pride as they watched the Inspection of the Guard.
She wrote: “It was an honor to meet and have tea with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. @POTUS and I enjoyed the visit and her company very much!!” (sic)
The visit marks Trump’s first official trip to the UK since the former property mogul was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States in January 2017. However, the trip has been marred by anti-Trump demonstrations, as people took to the streets in London and the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to protest the president’s visit.
Trump said the protests had left him feeling “unwelcome” in the country. He told The Sun: “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London.”