Throughout her fourteen-plus years in the Firm, the Princess of Wales has rarely been called upon to undertake even the softest of soft diplomacy, especially during state visits. In 2021, Kate was paired with Dr. Jill Biden for an event which was supposed to highlight Kate’s cause du jour, the Early Years. It was an unmitigated disaster, with Kate barely able to speak, her faux-posh accent crumbling like a cheap suit, and she had absolutely no poker face when the American journalists called out a question to her about Meghan. One year later, royal sources admitted that Kate “still struggles to mix with world leaders.” Well, good news. Kate is being given a special job for keen big girls next week: she’s taking Melania Trump out into the woods so they can visit with a Scouts troop.
The Princess of Wales will play a key role in the state visit of President Trump, which will feature massed bands, bagpipes and a private carriage ride through the estate of Windsor Castle. In a rare move, Kate, 43, who has returned to public duties after her chemotherapy treatment last year, will join Melania Trump, the US first lady, to visit a Scout troop.
Releasing details of next week’s state visit, Buckingham Palace outlined plans for what has been described as an “unprecedented” second state visit for a US president. Trump will arrive on Tuesday and there are no public-facing elements to the visit until the following day. The president will fly to Windsor Castle when he will be honoured with a fly-past by the Red Arrows and UK and US F-35 jets on the East Lawn and a special Beating Retreat military ceremony.
The King and Queen will officially greet the Trumps outside when a royal salute is fired from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. The Palace said: “On arrival at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, a Guard of Honour, with the State Colours of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards will greet the party. This is the first time at such an occasion that three State Colours will feature (conventionally only one colour would be on parade).”
While Trump will not have a carriage procession through the streets of Windsor, such as that given to President Macron during his visit in July, the US president will nevertheless be afforded a carriage ride, albeit one confined to the private estate. He will also lay a wreath at the tomb of the late Queen at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
In the evening, Trump and the first lady will be honoured at a state banquet for 160 guests including celebrities and members of the royal family at St George’s Hall where the King and Trump will deliver speeches. The Trumps will stay overnight in the castle, a privilege afforded to Ronald Reagan who became the first US president to stay at the royal residence in 1982.
On Thursday, the King and Queen will formally bid farewell to the Trumps before the president heads to Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire. There, Trump will be greeted by a guard of honour and bagpipers before viewing the Sir Winston Churchill archives held at Chequers. After a bilateral meeting with the prime minister and a business reception with Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, Trump and Starmer will hold a press conference.
Melania Trump will join the Queen to visit Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. The first lady will then join Kate at Frogmore Gardens to meet the Dwayne Fields, the chief scout, and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme to learn about their Go Wild nature badge.
Basically, they’ve learned that Kate can’t handle anything like “giving a speech” or “keening her way through a round-table discussion.” Fair enough, because Melania Trump can’t handle that kind of thing either. Melania and Kate have similar inadequacies, so they’re being sent off to do a photo-op with kids. I hope it doesn’t rain. As for the rest of the state visit… I imagine that Kate and William will attend the state dinner next Wednesday, correct? They’re not confirming it, but it will probably happen. I find it funny/interesting that William isn’t being tasked with some solo event with Trump. They’re actually big fans of each other, but I guess Downing Street was like “absolutely NOT.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
