President Trump is meeting with Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain at Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, on Friday. This is Mr. Trump’s first official meeting with the British monarch, who has met with nearly every single one of the last 12 American presidents. Before meeting the queen, he called her an “incredible woman” and said he was excited to meet with her.
Mr. Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump were treated to a rendition of the U.S. National Anthem before Mr. Trump and the queen inspect her guard of honor. The Trumps and the queen are having tea together afterward.
The president’s visit to Great Britain, which comes after the NATO meeting in Belgium and before Mr. Trump meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, has not been without its share of controversy.
Mr. Trump, who was greeted by massive protests in London, criticized UK Prime Minister Theresa May in an interview published Thursday in The Sun, a British tabloid, over her handling of Brexit. Mr. Trump complemented Boris Johnson, who resigned earlier this week from May’s cabinet over disputes about Brexit negotiations, saying Johnson would be an excellent prime minister. May and Mr. Trump then attempted to mend fences during a Friday press conference in which the president complimented the prime minister at length and dismissed reports of his criticism as “fake news.”
“I think she’s a terrific woman,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the joint press conference.
However, royal observers say the queen’s meeting with Mr. Trump is likely to be anything but tumultuous. A practiced diplomat, Queen Elizabeth has sat on the throne since 1952, and is used to receiving foreign leaders with big personalities.
“They actually have quite a lot in common,” royal biographer Robert Hardman told “CBS This Morning” about Mr. Trump and the queen. “They both got Scottish mothers, they both own fairly large parts of Scotland – in her case Balmoral [and] in his case two golf courses – and she’s used to dealing with the most appalling despots, monsters, crooks, dictators. I think they’re going to get on great.”
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