As the crown was placed on Queen Elizabeth II’s head on June 2, 1953, one Scottish mother and her six-year-old son watched the Coronation enthralled and in awe. They never left their seats all day as they soaked up the pomp and pageantry from their New York City home. Her name was Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, and her boy was Donald.
That boy grew up to be a capricious ‘showman’, two-time US President and the ultimate Marmite politician – half the world loves him, and the rest loathe him. But his love of Scotland (hence all the golf courses he owns there), and importantly, the Royal Family too, still run through his veins and has already been tapped by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Trump once said he developed “his sense of showmanship” from his mother’s love of the royals, as she was “enthralled by the pomp and circumstance, the whole idea of royalty and glamour”.
It was no coincidence Sir Keir visited the Oval Office last February to discuss Ukraine and trade, armed with an invitation from King Charles for what would end up being his second state visit to the UK.
He buttered up Trump like a toasted crumpet, and last September the Royal Family served it on a silver platter in St George’s Hall, in Windsor Castle – and guess who sat next to him during the lavish banquet?
Catherine, Princess of Wales, so captivated President Trump during his second state visit that he could not stop smiling at her and later hailed her as “radiant” in his speech. He was in awe of her.
In an act of expert soft diplomacy that also left his normally expressionless wife, Melania, awestruck and ‘giddy’ in her presence, Catherine more than any other royal ‘dazzled’ Trump and melted his First Lady.
She was spotted chatting away as he hung on her every word, soaking up her radiance as though sat on a Berkshire sun bed, clinking glasses with him and gifting him dazzling smiles during the feast.
She reduced the leader of the free world “to a man rather in awe” – then later made sure she spent separate time with Melania.
It was the best pincer movement since Hannibal’s at the Battle of Cannae. That brought Ancient Rome to its knees – hers left Donald’s knees trembling.
Now Catherine’s being lined up as our ‘not-so-secret’ weapon to defrost Trump again during her first foreign trip since 2022, almost 12 months on from her welcome announcement that she’s in remission from cancer.
The Princess of Wales’s last significant overseas trip with Prince William was the 2022 Caribbean tour for the Platinum Jubilee – and then a trip to Boston for Earthshot.
On July 4 this year, Trump will lead the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, with Prince William already pencilled in for the trip to the ‘States.
While there, William will also find time to support England at the summer FIFA World Cup, as he is the patron of the Football Association.
Separately, King Charles will fly to the US in April, and the Government hope both trips will strengthen relations with the President and revitalise the key trade deal he’s put on ‘pause’.
A key associate of Trump in his early days said of him: “It’s always been a big deal to him to be seen as successful and a part of history. He lives off of it.”
But have no doubt – Catherine is our ace in the hole to ‘woo’ Trump. She can make him feel like an Emperor of Rome, and only she can do it.
