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Why Donald Trump wants to meet the Queen during his visit to Britain

The US ambassador to the UK has confirmed a meeting between the monarch and Mr Trump will be a major part of the visit.

Queen Elizabeth II visits a college. File pic
Image: Queen Elizabeth II visits a college. File pic
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Donald Trump has made no secret of the fact that he's desperate to meet the Queen. 

This isn't just about two heads of state getting together - you get the sense that for the US president, it's personal.

Just after he was elected in 2016, in a phone call to Theresa May, he said that his mother Mary MacLeod, who emigrated from the isle of Lewis to New York in 1930, was a "big fan" of the Queen.

It's reported he even asked the prime minister to pass on his regards to Her Majesty on her next trip to Buckingham Palace.

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Now the US ambassador to the UK has confirmed that a meeting between the monarch and Trump will form an important part of his short visit on 13 July, meaning the president has got what he wished for. Well almost.

When we first heard about the president being invited to the UK, we were talking about a full state visit - the ultimate diplomatic prize; an invitation only extended to world leaders that we're really keen to keep on side, with carriages, a banquet and a chance to stay the night at either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.

But Mr Trump won't be getting his trip in a gold carriage this time round. As the ambassador confirmed, this is not a state visit but a working trip.

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The vehicle was stopped near Buckingham Palace
Image: Mr Trump is unlikely to get a lavish banquet at Buckingham Palace

The visit has been watered down - the threats of protests probably didn't help.

So, instead of a lavish banquet, a friendly cup of tea with the Queen and maybe a lunch is probably the most he can expect. Not that the palace are confirming anything yet.

Windsor Castle will be closed to the public on 13 July, so maybe that is where the meeting will take place.

In February last year, in a parliamentary debate about a potential visit, the Labour MP Paul Flynn, a member of the petitions committee, told MPs that meeting the US president would "put the Queen in an awkward position".

But after 66 years on the throne Her Majesty knows it is her role to meet and greet whoever her government decides she should entertain.

You can write a good list of leaders she's met that some found unpalatable: Mugabe, Putin, Ceausescu, to name just a few.

The 13 July will be another day where she will open the doors of one of her homes and turn on that star power and soft diplomacy that only our royal family can deploy, and do her bit to forward the diplomatic efforts of her United Kingdom.