New Book Details Queen Elizabeth's Humorous Reaction After Meeting Donald Trump
Among the many books set to be published following Queen Elizabeth II's death, one of the most anticipated is Gyles Brandreth's "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait." Brandreth is a British writer, actor, and former MP, via his website, who is a regular face on British television and is known for his close relationship with the royal family thanks to his friendship with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, via Evening Standard.
In his book, Brandreth goes on to detail his intimate memories of the queen — including a moment etched in everyone's minds when former U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to the U.K. on his first official visit in June 2018, via The Independent. His first official state visit occurred a year later, via NBC News, and during both visits, the queen shared her strong feelings about Trump in the most subtle and royal way through her choice of brooches. But, according to Brandreth, she was quite "amused" at Trump breaking royal protocol not once, but twice.
Queen Elizabeth II wasn't the only royal to laugh at Trump during his visits to the UK
During Donald Trump's first official visit to the UK in 2018, the former president broke royal protocol twice — first by shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II rather than bowing, and then by walking in front of her, via The Independent. According to Gyles Brandreth, the late monarch was "amused" rather than annoyed or angry at Trump walking steps ahead of her. But, as he wrote in his book "Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait," when she saw herself on the news later that night, "bobbing about behind him, she laughed out loud, via Daily Mail Plus.
The queen wasn't the only royal to laugh at Trump during a visit to Buckingham Palace. In December 2019, Buckingham Palace hosted a two-day summit for NATO attended by the world's leaders, including the former president. Princess Anne was spotted laughing about Trump with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explained Trump's bizarre press conference earlier that day, via Twitter.