Report: Princes Charles and William Refused To Meet with Trump
Two top members of Britain’s royal family refused to meet with President Donald Trump when Trump and first lady Melania Trump met with Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, according to a new report.
“This business of Prince Charles and Prince William not being there for the Trump visit was a snub,” the Times of London reported, citing a source it did not name.
“They simply refused to attend. It’s a very, very unusual thing for the queen to be there on her own. Usually she is accompanied by somebody. Prince Charles has been substituting for Philip a lot recently,” the source said.
Former President Barack Obama had a close relationship with Princes William and Harry, The Hill noted.
Charles, who the Times said spent Friday a board meeting of a company and later at an event with Gloucestershire police, could have attended had he wished.
“He goes to what he wants to go to, and if he had wanted to be there he could have been,” The Times reported that its source said.
The Times also carried comments attributed to other unnamed sources within Buckingham Palace and Downing Street that because Trump’s visit was not a state visit, the two princes had never been expected to attend.
Do you view the princes not meeting with Trump as a snub?
Those comments were echoed in a statement given to The Sun.
“In line with standard practice for guest of government visits, the President and First Lady were received by The Queen as Head of State,” the statement said.
“The arrangements were mutually agreed between the Palace and the U.K. and U.S. governments. There was never a suggestion that other members of the royal family would take part,” the statement added.
“They might have had a view that they were happy not to do it, but it is not true that it was on the cards and they refused to do it,” Vanity Fair quoted a government minister as saying in its reporting on the absence of the princes.
The Daily Star suggested that Trump might have been just as happy without the princes in attendance.
“Trump was not keen on meeting Charles because of his views on climate change,” The Star reported. “And it was reported he dropped plans to play golf with Prince Andrew.”
The royal family’s displeasure with Trump has been reported before. Shortly after Trump took office, Us magazine reported that Prince Harry, William’s younger brother, “is not a fan” of the president.
“Harry thinks the president is a serious threat to human rights,” the magazine quoted an unnamed source as saying.
Facebook has greatly reduced the distribution of our stories in our readers' newsfeeds and is instead promoting mainstream media sources. When you share to your friends, however, you greatly help distribute our content. Please take a moment and consider sharing this article with your friends and family. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. Your comments are needed for helping to improve the discussion.