Donald Trump‘s meeting with his ‘friend’ King Charles today may not have gone entirely to plan, after leaving Britain’s most senior royal figure waiting for 21 minutes.
Mr Trump joined by his wife, US First Lady Melania, is taking part in his historic second state visit to the UK after being invited by the King following his second presidential win.
But things appeared to have got off to a bumpy start, with the president running late for his meeting in the Walled Garden of Windsor.
The Trumps were due to touch down in the Marine One helicopter at 11.55am where they would be greeted by Prince William and Kate before meeting the King and Queen.
However, the visit’s schedule appeared to go off the rails, with the helicopter landing at 12.14pm – 12 minutes after the Charles and Camilla arrived in their Bentley.
The American leader and his wife eventually emerged from Marine One at 12.16pm, 21 one minutes later than had been planned. For a spectacle on a strict time control, with everything planned with military precision, it was arguably unusual.
Then there was the meeting itself with the monarch.
The last time Mr Trump was indulged with all the pomp and ceremony of a state visit in 2019 he faced accusations of breaching royal protocol after he stepped in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II during the inspection of the Guard of Honour at Windsor.
And today, the President appeared to repeat what some deemed may be skirting on the edge of a royal faux pas, as he strode ahead of Charles speaking with Lieutenant Colonel Green of the Coldstream Guards, while inspecting the royal honour guard.
Donald Trump walked ahead of the King as he inspected the royal guard of honour in Windsor
But Palace sources have insisted Trump did not breach royal protocol – and say the King had made a point of inviting the president to walk in front of him, much like he has with other world leaders in recent years.
It was a similar defence put up by officials from Buckingham Palace when Trump walked ahead of the Queen, forcing her to skirt around him, back in 2019. The incident was quickly swept aside by the palace, even if some reports – denied by Trump – claimed the Queen said she found him ‘very rude’ after his visit.
Then there was Trump’s meeting of the King this afternoon.
The President appeared to warmly embrace His Majesty, while affectionately placing a hand on Charles’s upper arm as the pair came together.
And while the handshake appeared chummy and potentially out of character for such a formal meeting, there are actually no real rules to suggest the president’s overly-familiar greeting was in breach of royal etiquette.
In fact, the King appears to have taken a more relaxed stance on public meetings in recent years, and has embraced new handshakes – even trying a fist bump when meeting the West Indies cricket team at Buckingham Palace last year.
The King has also shown a similar informal style with Trump’s handshake nemesis, French President Emmanuel Macron, with both men holding each other’s elbows when meeting one another in 2024 at Blenheim Palace.
Meanwhile, Trump has previously been mocked for his handshaking style in the past, with a Wikipedia page dedicated to them.
And the president also appeared to greet the King warmly, holding the monarch’s upper arm as the pair meet in front of the world’s media
Pictured is the French President Macron warmly meeting the King in 2023 (left) and then walking ahead of the monarch during his state visit to the UK earlier this year (right)
He has been described as treating them like an arm wrestle, gripping tightly and pulling sharply.
In 2017, the US President and his French counterpart, Mr Macron, appeared to have a bizarre handshake-off during the Bastille Day celebrations.
The pair clasped one another for an agonising 30 seconds. The following year at the White House, he shook Macron’s hand and seemingly refused to let go, even leading the French leader away from the waiting press.
In another display of the King’s more relaxed approach, President Macron was also invited to walk in front of the monarch when he inspected the ceremonial guard during his state visit earlier this year.
Likewise, Charles appeared comfortable with being touched by Trump’s predecessor President Biden at their friendly Windsor Castle summit back in July 2023.
The former US President, then aged 80, repeatedly appeared to put his hand on the King, with Biden putting his hand on the King’s back as the two men prepared to listen to a rendition of the US National Anthem, played by the Welsh Guards
Responding to the contact at the time, a source inside Buckingham Palace said: ‘His Majesty the King is entirely comfortable with that kind of contact – and what a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection it was between both the individuals and their nations.’
Ultimately, the rules of what to do when meeting Britain’s top royals are not necessarily as set in stone as they might have once been.
On the King and Queen’s official website for instance, it states there are ‘no obligatory codes of behaviour’ when meeting them, just courtesy.
The site notes that while many people choose traditional greetings, such as a bow of the head for men or a curtsy, others opt to shake hands.
Whatever the rules, one thing is clear – the eyes of the world’s media will remain fixed firmly on Mr Trump’s behaviour around the King, scrutinising his every move and manner during his three-day tour of the UK.
