Donald Trump 'demanded he should stay at Buckingham Palace for state visit'

14:35 • 05.09.20

Event

Donald Trump demanded to stay in Buckingham Palace during a state visit despite being told that the royal household was under extensive renovations.

President Trump was first invited for a formal state visit by the Queen in January 2017, but it was not until the summer of 2019 that he took up the offer.

As the trip was being organised, White House aides told Downing Street that it was 'critically important' that Mr Trump was allowed to stay overnight in Buckingham Palace, the Daily Mail reports, citing The Daily Telegraph.

Mr Trump was set to bring his wife Melania as well as his four adult children Ivanka, Donald Jr, Eric and Tiffany on the state visit.

Sources claimed that the President expected the same treatment as his predecessor Barack Obama, who was welcomed to an overnight stay at the Palace with his wife Michelle during his state visit in 2003.

But Buckingham Palace was under renovation during Mr Trump's visit in June 2019, with even some royal household members being moved out during the extensive works.

Yet Mr Trump reportedly still demanded a stay at the Palace, despite entire areas of the building having been closed off.

This led Downing Street aides to request a room-by-room breakdown of refurbishment plans to accommodate Mr Trump's request but it ultimately failed.

One UK official told The Daily Telegraph: 'It was very, very clear Trump loved the Queen. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with the Queen and to stay at Buckingham Palace.

'We went to the point of saying to the palace, 'Can you tell us which rooms are undergoing refurbishment?' It was properly looked into. The last thing we wanted was a snub story coming out. But it couldn't work.'

Mr Trump, who brought his wife Melania on the visit, was first invited for a formal state visit by the Queen in January 2017, but he did not take up the offer until the summer of 2019

The White House were told that Buckingham Palace (above) was under renovation, with some royal household members being moved out, but Mr Trump reportedly still asked to stay overnight

Sources claimed Mr Trump expected the same treatment as his predecessor Barack Obama, who was welcomed to an overnight stay at the Palace with his wife Michelle during his state visit in 2003

Mr Trump instead stayed stayed in Winfield House, the US ambassador's residence in Regent's Park, during his state visit but there were concerns the nearby mosque would wake the President in the morning

Mr Trump had met the Queen for tea at Windsor Castle a year before his state visit in 2019 and reportedly wanted to spend time with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on his trip (above)

President Trump was set to bring his family on the state visit with him, including his wife Melania (both pictured right) as well as his four adult children Ivanka, Donald Jr, Eric and Tiffany

White House advisors still feared a 'hissy fit' if Mr Trump believed that he was getting less than his predecessors, leading them to create a spreadsheet comparing past presidents's state visits to his own trip Mr Trump attend the D-day 75 Commemorations with the Queen during his June 2019 state visit (above) and was also taken to Sandhurst, where British army soldiers are trained, and Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister