Donald Trump’s helicopters ‘ruined’ Buckingham Palace lawns
The Queen complained to Scott Morrison Marine One “ruined’’ Buckingham Palace’s lawn.
He may have been keen to buy the vast expanses of Greenland but, if Queen Elizabeth’s experience is anything to go by, Donald Trump cannot be trusted with a patch of lawn.
On his state visit to the UK this summer, the American president insisted on flying into Buckingham Palace by helicopter twice in one day, apparently damaging the Queen’s grass.
The day after Trump’s arrival at the palace, the monarch is said to have revealed her distress over the state of her garden to Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, who had also travelled to the UK for the D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth in June.
A source close to Morrison said: “He had got off the plane and went straight to the palace to see the Queen, who led him out to the gardens and said: ‘Come and look at my lawn. It’s ruined.’”
The main lawn at Buckingham Palace, which is overlooked by several of the state apartments, is the centrepiece of the Queen’s annual garden parties and she is fond of walking her dogs on the grass when she is in residence.
Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, arrived at the palace in Marine One, the presidential helicopter, on June 3, at the start of their three-day visit.
They received an official welcome from Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. A support helicopter, Nighthawk Two, also parked on the lawn.
Later that day, Mr Trump used a helicopter for the three-mile journey to the palace from Winfield House in Regent’s Park, the US ambassador’s residence, where he was staying, landing on the Queen’s lawn to attend the state banquet.
It is thought that the helicopters’ engines caused scorch marks on the palace grass and their wheels left divots.
It emerged last month that a new presidential helicopter, which is supposed to go into service by September next year, had a flaw and had left scorch marks on the White House lawn during testing.
In 2016 the Queen was reported to have opposed a request from US security services for six helicopters to land at Windsor Castle when Barack Obama visited the monarch there to mark her 90th birthday. She insisted on fewer helicopters to protect her lawns.
Trump appeared oblivious to his unwelcome gift on the Queen’s lawn.
On the first day of his visit, he tweeted: “London part of trip is going really well. The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic . . . Great love all around.” During a speech at the banquet later, he described the Queen as “a great, great woman”.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the story was untrue.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment.
The Sunday Times
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