Donald Trump’s controversial history with the royal family as he makes second UK state visit

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it was repeatedly rumoured that members of the royal family were joining Trump properties.

When Trump Tower opened in 1983, it was claimed that Charles and Diana were looking at buying an apartment in the building.

The rumour generated huge amounts of publicity for Trump Tower, but the claims were not true.

It has been widely speculated that the rumour was started by Trump himself.

Giving his side of the story, Trump claimed he received a call asking whether or not it was true that Charles had purchased an apartment in the building, and he refused to confirm or deny the rumour.

However, in his 1987 book, The Art of Deal, he never said he was the source of the claim.

Trump’s name was once again linked to the royals in December 1994, when he opened his club, Mar-a-Lago.

It was rumoured that Charles and Diana were planning to join the club and had paid the $50,000 initiation fee.

“We have a lot of incredible celebrities, but this is just different,” Trump said, according to the Palm Beach Post.

However, Buckingham Palace shot down the claim, describing it as “complete nonsense”.

Trump then clarified that he had offered them honorary membership but had not heard back from the couple.

Trump reportedly courted Princess Diana in the late 1990s following her split from Charles in 1992.

The couple’s divorce was finalised in 1996, and then-businessman Trump allegedly tried to pursue the Princess of Wales.

According to People, Diana allegedly said Trump “gives me the creeps” after he repeatedly sent her flowers.

Journalist Selina Scott claimed in The Sunday Times that Trump saw Diana as the “ultimate trophy wife”.

The pair only met once, and never dated, with Trump going on to marry his now-wife, Melania, in January 2005.

Shortly after Diana’s death, Trump famously made a lewd remark during a 1997 interview with Howard Stern claiming he could have slept with her.

In his book, The Art of the Comeback, Trump described Diana as a “dream lady” and said he regretted not courting her.

According to the BBC, Charles was reportedly invited to Trump’s 2005 wedding to Melania, but did not attend.

The couple got married in his 20,000sqft ballroom at Mar-a-Lago.

The room was said to be inspired by Louis XIV’s Hall of Mirrors at Versailles in another royal link.

Trump once again rubbed shoulders with Charles during a reception at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005.

He attended the event with his wife, Melania, and the couple were spotted chatting with the then Prince of Wales.

Trump has made a series of disparaging comments about Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle.

Trump labelled the Duchess of Sussex as “terrible” and “nasty”, adding: “I’m not a fan of Meghan.”

Meanwhile, she described him as “divisive” and “misogynistic” during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Melania rubbed shoulders with Prince Harry at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada.

The pair sat beside one another during the opening ceremony.

Trump met Queen Elizabeth during his first term as president in July 2018.

Her Majesty welcomed Trump and Melanie at Windsor Castle and Trump inspected the Guard of Honour before joining the Queen for tea.

The 2018 visit caused such outrage that more than 250,000 people took to the streets of London in protest.

Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to move her dinner with him out of the city to Blenheim Palace because of the protests.

Trump was finally hosted on his first state visit to the UK in June 2019.

He was received by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace and stayed at Winfield House with his wife, Melania.

The visit came during his first presidency, and he was also hosted by Charles and Camilla for afternoon tea at Clarence House.

In 2024, a biography claimed that the late Queen found Trump “very rude”.

The release, titled Voyage Around The Queen, alleged: “A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.”

However, Trump rejected the claims as “totally false”, saying they shared a “great relationship”.

“I heard I was her favorite president, and you’ve heard that too. She would say it to a lot of people,” he claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the United States after he discussed past illegal drug use in his autobiography, Spare.

The president made some cutting remarks about Harry’s wife Meghan as he did so.

“I don’t want to do that,” he said.

“I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

Harry lives in California with Meghan and their kids – Archie, six, and Lilibet, four. They relocated to the US from the UK in 2020.

Before jetting off to the UK for his second state visit, Trump described Charles and Camilla as his friends.

“They’re friends of mine for a long time, since before he was King,” Trump said of the royals at the White House.

“And it’s an honor to have him as King.”

“I think he represents the country so well. He’s such an elegant gentleman,” he added.

Trump arrived in the UK for his historic second state visit on September 17, 2025.

He is the first elected political leader to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch in modern times.

Trump was greeted by William and Kate before he joined Camilla and Charles for a state banquet dinner.