Topics: King Charles III, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, US News, UK News, Royal Family
Queen Camilla has sent a subtle but clear message to Donald Trump as she arrived in the US alongside her husband King Charles for a pre-planned state visit.
The meticulously planned trip, which comes just days after the President came under fire by a would-be assassin for the third time, is primarily about strengthening the strained relationship between between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Yet rather than rely on speech alone, even the Queen’s own outfit choices have been communicating the couple’s agenda, and according to a former royal butler - that agenda is ‘unity.’
Grant Harrold, who worked for the royal family between 2004 and 2011, noticed the hugely symbolic meaning behind the brooch Queen Camilla was wearing as she arrived in the US for the first engagement of the short trip.
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According to Harrold, the brooch was gifted to the late Queen Elizabeth II by a New York mayor, and ‘sent a clear message’ to Trump and the rest of the world about the couple’s intentions.
Speaking on behalf of Slots Temple, he claimed Camilla is making a statement about the purpose of this trip and highlighting the King’s desire to protect the UK and US’s ‘special relationship.’
“This is very much an act of diplomacy,” he explained. “These things are never a coincidence or an accident, everything is carefully planned.
“They know that people will pick up on these things and that’s why they do it. The fact that she’s picked this brooch says a lot, she’s sending a clear message about what the King and Queen hope to get from this trip - unity.
“It shows the two countries in the union, which is what this trip is about - protecting that ‘Special Relationship’.”
The timing of the brooch also bore a clear significance, with Harrold continuing: “And the decision not just to wear it on the first day of the trip, but from the moment they step on to US soil is key.
“It shows from the off, they are there for diplomacy. Donald and Melania Trump will notice it, and they will appreciate it. I have no doubt it will be a discussion point at their private meeting.”
He then added:“Wearing a brooch from the vaults is also a clever way to remind Trump about the past, as well as the future.
"It was a gift to the late Queen from a former New York mayor back in 1957, so will possibly cause the President to think back on decades of close ties between the two countries.
“The fact she moved it from the coat to the dress shows she wants it to be seen. That’s not standard practice. It’s very much making a statement.”
The royal couple will undertake a handful of carefully screened engagements during their trip to the US, which lasts from April 27 to April 29.
It marks the first time a British monarch has made a trip of this kind since the late Queen Elizabeth was hosted by George W. Bush back in 2007.
