US President and First Lady arrive for state visit amid UK leadership crisis
Donald and Melania Trump will stay in a stunning mansion sold for $1 when they arrive in London. Here’s what to expect.
The US President and First Lady will bed down in the lap of luxury during a three-day state visit to the UK in a historic mansion sold to the US government for just $1.
Mr and Mrs Trump will land in London on Monday for a state visit hosted by the Queen that has been two-and-a-half years in the making.
They are expected to stay at the prestigious Winfield House, the official residence of the US Ambassador, set among London’s wealthiest homes in the Outer Circle of Regent’s Park.
The stunning Georgian property boasts huge grounds, including a forest once roamed by King Henry VIII on hunts. It was later bought by Barbara Hutton, the 24-year-old Woolworths heiress as a secure site to raise her son amid fears of kidnap threats.
During WWII the property was used by the Royal Air Force and fell into disrepair. When Ms Hutton returned to the US, she sold it to the government for just $1, saying she hoped it would become the official home of the US Ambassador in London.
The mansion has undergone extensive renovations and contains a vast reception room, garden room and gold room. It has hosted numerous presidents and members of the royal family, including Princess Diana who brought Prince William and Prince Harry there to see Marine One land on the lawn.
It’s unclear whether Mr Trump’s children will stay with him while in London. Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric are all tipped to join the visit, while youngest daughter Tiffany Trump has already been spotted at London’s A-list haunt, Annabel’s.
The President and First Lady will receive a ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace followed by a private lunch that Prince Harry is expected to attend. Meghan Markle will skip the event, as she is on maternity leave with baby Archie in what has been dubbed the “perfect excuse” to avoid a president she once dubbed “divisive” and “misogynistic”.
On Monday evening UK time, the Queen will host a state banquet that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to attend. The President and First Lady will also have tea with Prince Charles and Camilla at Clarence House and visit Westminster Abbey with the Duke of York.
Mr Trump will meet with UK Prime Minister Theresa May and attend a ceremonial event in Portsmouth with leaders from 13 allied nations, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, during the visit.
The visit comes at the worst possible time for Mrs May who was forced to announce she would step down from her role on June 7 after her failure to conduct successful Brexit negotiations.
Twelve Conservative politicians are vying for leadership of the party, including Boris Johnson. It is also reeling from a drubbing at the European elections where it scored its worst-ever result with less than 10 per cent of the vote. The major winner was Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit party, and he has vowed to take on the Government in a general election.
A visit from the famously frank US President will have UK leaders on notice. Mr Trump has already said he is “friends” with both Mr Farage and Mr Johnson, and he might take time out to see them.
“Nigel’s had a big victory, he’s picked up 32 per cent of the vote starting from nothing, and I think they are big powers over there, they have done a good job,” Mr Trump said on Thursday.
The clock is still ticking for Britain to negotiate a “divorce deal” with the EU or face crashing out of the EU on October 31, so any talk of a potential free trade deal with the US will be closely watched.
On the eve of Mr Trump’s “working visit” to the UK in July 2018 he humiliated Mrs May by declaring her Brexit strategy could “kill” the chances of a free-trade agreement.
“I would have done it much differently. I actually told Theresa May how to do it, but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me,” he told The Sun at the time.
“I would actually say that she probably went the opposite way. And that is fine.
“She should negotiate the best way she knows how. But it is too bad what is going on.”
The visit is expected to cost more than $32 million in security with the President bringing Air Force One, helicopter Marine One, car the “beast” and the “football” of nuclear codes.
The Stop Trump Coalition has organised a “Together Against Trump” protest it says is about “sending a strong message that people in the UK don’t accept the divisive right-wing policies that Mr Trump stands for and that inviting him for a state visit is totally inappropriate”.
The visit has been marked by political debate ever since the invitation was extended in January 2017, with London mayor Sadiq Khan saying it should be withdrawn following a Twitter feud over terror attacks. Speaker of the UK House John Bercow has also said he does not think the US President should address the UK parliament.
State visits are renowned for providing candid moments, as leaders meet the royal family and wrangle with British protocols. President Obama famously met Prince George in his dressing gown and made a notable faux pas in talking over the national anthem.
Michelle Obama also broke the “no touching” rule by putting her arm around the Queen in a moment captured on camera. She later explained it in her memoir Becoming, where she said the two women bonded over standing around in high heels.
“I confessed then to the Queen that my feet were hurting. She confessed that hers hurt, too. We looked at each other then with identical expressions, like, ‘When is all this standing around with world leaders going to finally wrap up?’ And with this, she busted out with a fully charming laugh.”
The state visit will take place on June 3-5 in the UK. Follow the latest @Victoria_Craw
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