Princes Charles and William Reportedly Refused to Meet Trump During UK Visit
Right on the heels of Trump's visit the U.K., a report has started to circulate that the royal family chose to "snub" the U.S. president during his brief stay there. It fell to the Queen to greet Donald Trump alone as Prince Charles and Prince William were reportedly reluctant to join the two.
As heads of the royal family, and as the first and second in line for the throne, respectively, Princes Charles and William are expected to join Queen Elizabeth in welcoming Donald Trump, which instead resulted in a rare sight of the Queen alone with the U.S. President, according to the Times.
According to what might be taken as an explanation from Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, Trump's trip to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May is not considered a state visit, and that the Queen's greetings were planned as a courtesy extended to the president and his wife Melania.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
A source, however, suggested that the two princes have declined attending the reception for the U.S. President. "They simply refused to attend. It's a very, very unusual thing for the queen to be there on her own. Usually she is accompanied by somebody," the insider pointed out, as quoted by Bustle.
Trump and the First Lady, after the meeting with Theresa May, later took to Windsor Castle on Friday, July 13, to join the queen for tea. Together, the U.S. first couple joined Queen Elizabeth for a short inspection of the Guard of Honor and exchanged pleasantries for about an hour.
Prince Philip, at 97-years old, has officially retired from royal duties and thus have the extra leeway to basically go to "what he wants to go to," according to the source.
"If he had wanted to be there he could have been," the insider pointed out as well.
