This month US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump undertook their second State Visit to the United Kingdom and their trip included plenty of memorable moments. Melania and the Princess of Wales teamed up on the final day for a tour of Frogmore Gardens near Windsor Castle and met with members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program.
The First Lady looked to have had a great time and other than the weather the day before which curtailed plans for a full RAF flypast, the trip went off without a hitch. This wasn’t exactly the case during the Trumps’ last State Visit.
Writing in her 2024 book, Melania: A Memoir, Melania previously recalled a “light-hearted” mishap that left her and Queen Camilla in fits of laughter when she and the President visited the UK back in 2019.
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As per The Mirror in the memoir, she reportedly wrote, “Donald and I landed in Marine One on the perfectly manicured grounds and were greeted by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, who escorted us to the entrance where Her Majesty the Queen awaited.”
“Amid the pomp of the ceremonial welcome by British guards, a sudden gust of wind ruffled my hat. I quickly grabbed at it to hold it in place and shared an unrestrained moment of laughter with the Queen and the Duchess,” Melania continued. “It was a light-hearted and spontaneous moment in an otherwise formal and dignified occasion.”
Hats and breezy days can be a challenging mix and no-one knows this better than the royals. It’s no wonder that they could all share a laugh about it during the ceremonial welcome, likely making Melania feel more at ease.
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They might be perceived by many to be serious and having the quintessentially British stiff upper lip, but this isn’t the first time the Royal Family have taken a more relaxed approach during a State Visit. Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have previously shared how the late Queen Elizabeth II put them right at ease.
Recalling her State Visit in 2016, Michelle Obama has declared, as per CNN, “So I had all this protocol buzzing in my head, and I was like ‘don’t trip down the stairs and don’t touch anybody, whatever you do.'”
However, when it came to getting in the car with Her Majesty, Michelle added, “And so the Queen says ‘just get in, sit wherever’ and she’s telling you one thing and you’re remembering protocol and she says, ‘Oh it’s all rubbish, just get in.'”
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“Protocol does inform a lot of what the Royal Family do,” explains woman&home’s Royal Editor, Emma Shacklock. “However, it’s not the be-all and end-all and this anecdote from the Obamas reflects this. As for Melania sharing laughter with Queen Elizabeth and Queen Camilla over almost losing her hat, this again shows that although they’re very dignified the royals do have a sense of humour.”
Six years after the Trumps’ first State Visit, the First Lady and Queen Camilla were reunited at this recent one. It started off with a ride together in the Scottish State Coach for a procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Other key moments from their itinerary included a visit to St George’s Chapel, where the President and First Lady lay a wreath in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
