Very early on in his presidency, President Donald Trump was invited by Queen Elizabeth II for an official visit to London.
It is not known why, but it took Trump more than two years to accept the invitation.
In the summer of 2019, Trump, his wife, Melania Trump, and several of his children and staff members flew to England for a formal state visit that was almost ruined by a long list of demands and his imaginary war with former President Barack Obama.
Before the trip, the Republican president made it clear that he wanted to stay in Buckingham Palace. The former reality TV star wanted to sleep in the Palace because Barack and his wife, Michelle Obama, did in 2013.
Trump was angry upon learning that he could not get a bed at Buckingham Palace because of the renovations taking place at the time.
The Palace underwent a massive renovation that pushed several royal family members to temporarily move out during that summer.
Trump did not accept the explanation, and with Obama living rent-free in his head, he requested a “room-by-room breakdown of refurbishment plans.”
A UK official revealed: “It was very, very clear Trump loved the Queen. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with the Queen and to stay at Buckingham Palace. We went to the point of saying to the Palace, ‘can you tell us which rooms are undergoing refurbishment.’ It was properly looked into. The last thing we wanted was a snub story coming out. But it couldn’t work.”
British leaders decided to have Trump stay in Winfield House, which appeared to be another headache.
A White House adviser went on to say: “We wondered whether Regent’s Park Mosque would wake him up in the morning.”
The person shared that Trump is enamored with The Queen and added: “I think she is the only person he truly respects. I don’t think he was as enamored with the Pope as the Queen. There was a hierarchy of celebrity, and she was top. It was his mother’s influence.”
Drastic measures were taken to make sure that Trump got the exact treatment as Obama.
To achieve that goal, White House advisers prepared spreadsheets with exhaustive details revealing his parade, what fancy dinner was served, and the “exact format for gatherings with the Queen.”
Fearing a hissy fit, Trump was kept away from the protests against his policies that were taken place in London.
The aid explained: “We discussed how he would react. He would blame the UK government. He’d engage in a really nasty way, in a way that would end up blowing the entire relationship. You’ve seen him have a hissy fit with Justin Trudeau [the Canadian prime minister] and other leaders.”
The UK official concluded by saying: “The President literally has the thinnest skin of anyone who’s ever been elected to that office. It was just accepted wisdom to try to avoid crowds.”
It is unclear if the queen felt the same way.
