What Melania Trump Has Said About Her Reported Friendship With King Charles

It has become somewhat of a tradition for first ladies to write a memoir after they vacate the White House, but following Former President Donald Trump's disgraceful exit from the highest office in the land, Melania Trump appeared to continue honoring her reputation as one of the most unconventional first ladies in history. She withdrew from the public eye completely and expectations of an upcoming memoir started to dwindle as a result. But then the former model surprised everyone when she announced her new book, simply called "Melania," in July 2024. And, when it hit shelves in October, one subject in particular caught people's attention: Melania's ongoing friendship with King Charles III.

Melania and Charles first met in 2005, when the then-prince paid a visit to New York. A long 14 years passed before their next encounter, which took place when Buckingham Palace invited Melania and Donald to a state banquet in 2019. The former first lady remembered this night fondly in her memoir, writing, "I was seated next to Prince Charles, and it was an absolute pleasure to reconnect with him." If you're wondering what on earth the two could have in common, you might be surprised to learn that Melania and Charles both share a deep concern for our planet's wellbeing. As she wrote, "We engaged in an interesting conversation about his deep-rooted commitment to environmental conservation."

The author also revealed that she and her husband invited Charles and his own wife, Queen Camilla, to dinner. Apparently, they all got along so well that the famous couples decided to stay in touch afterwards. As Melania proudly confirmed, "Our friendship with the royal family continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day." 

For political and royal pundits alike, Melania Trump's revelation about her and Donald Trump's ongoing friendship with King Charles III was nothing short of baffling. Not only was their 2019 visit to the U.K. met with tons of public resistance at the time, but rumors swirled that the royals weren't exactly fans of the Trumps either, especially Charles. This inherent dislike reportedly stemmed from Donald's infamous tweet after Catherine, Princess of Wales, was photographed topless while sunbathing at a private chateau in France back in 2012. It was one of the royal family's biggest PR disasters, and the former president made matters worse when he tweeted, "Kate Middleton is great — but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude — only herself to blame. Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing," (via Newsweek). 

According to palace sources who spoke to royal author Christopher Andersen, for his book "The King: The Life of Charles III," the tweet infuriated him. "Trump's criticism of Kate resulted in what one Clarence House butler referred to as 'torrents of profanity' from both Prince Charles and his sons," Andersen wrote. In fact, the king reportedly thought Donald was "detached from reality." There was also the time that Donald misspelled Charles' title, which back then was still "the Prince of Wales." When he mentioned the monarch in a tweet, the divisive politician referred to him as "the Prince of Whales" instead. 

Moreover, the former president is also a noted climate change denier while Charles is passionate about protecting the environment. The idea that Melania and Charles remain pen pals to this day is therefore rather surprising, especially given her husband's shenanigans, but perhaps the king chooses not to judge first ladies by their spouses.