Pro-royal British reporters are eager to give Prince William credit for a soft-power diplomacy move that they say helped enable a remarkable scene in St. Peter’s Basilica, ahead of Saturday’s funeral ceremony for Pope Francis at the Vatican
That scene would be President Donald Trump, sitting knee-to-knee with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a corner of the basilica where they talked about ending Ukraine’s three-year war with Russia. It was their first first face-to-face meeting since an explosive public row in the Oval Office two months earlier which ended with the Ukrainian leader being evicted from the White House.
During the 15-minute meeting, Trump and Zelenenskyy appeared to speak calmly. A spokesperson for the U.S. president said the encounter was “productive,” while Zelenskyy said it was “potentially historic” and “the most positive” conversation he has ever had with Trump, The Telegraph reported. Both sides suggested that the two antagonists hashed out some differences over efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.
Reporters said William had a role in this meeting, if only because he knew when to “read the room” and discreetly “step aside” so that his prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, could help facilitate it.
Behind the scenes, European officials had been encouraging Trump and Zelenskyy to re-engage the after their Oval Office clash.
According to The Telegraph and The Sun, William and Starmer together paid respects at the Pope’s coffin in the center of the basilica before the funeral. As they turned to walk away, they spotted a huddle between Zelenskyy, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.
That’s when William, representing his father, King Charles III, at the funeral, peeled away from Starmer so that the prime minister could join the other world leaders. A short time later, Zelenskyy and Trump moved to a corner of the room, where chairs had been provided by black-robed Vatican officials.
There initially were three chairs, and there was much discussion about whether the third chair was meant for Macron or Starmer. At one point, it also appeared that Trump told Macron that he shouldn’t be there, and Macron nodded, a lip reader told The Telegraph.
But French diplomatic sources told The Telegraph that the chair was intended for an interpreter, not for Macron, downplaying any tensions between Trump and Macron.
Meanwhile, it’s not known whether William or Charles played more of a role — besides just getting out of the way — in encouraging the Zelenskyy and Trump meeting.
British former intelligence officer Phillip Ingram told The Sun that it will probably never be known, but it’s possible they could have been involved behind the scenes, knowing that Trump holds the British royal family in high regard.
Charles, as the head of state, is supposed to stay politically neutral and operate within certain parameters. But he showed solidarity with Zelenskyy following his Oval Office clash with Trump by welcoming him to his Sandringham country estate for a photo op. The Times U.K. also reported in March that Charles would like to play “peacemaker” if he can.
“Prince William and the royal family are key to diplomacy around the world, and we know Prince William has a good relationship with Donald Trump,” Ingram said. “Donald Trump likes him, therefore behind closed doors, and it will never be admitted, if there’s anything Prince William can do to facilitate Donald Trump talking to the right people, that will happen.”
“He represents the king, and the king is the head of state,” Ingram continued. “It’s right and proper that the head of state gets involved in things that the U.K., from a state perspective, is interested in.”