Former U.S. President Donald Trump sparked controversy again on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, after strongly refuting claims made in a new biography that the late Queen Elizabeth II found him “very rude.” The book, “A Voyage Around the Queen,” by Craig Brown, suggests that the late queen was displeased with Trump’s behavior during his visits to the United Kingdom. Trump, however, dismissed these reports as “totally false” and asserted that he was, in fact, her “favorite president.”
During an interview after a campaign rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, Trump expressed his disbelief at the allegations. “It was totally false. I have no idea who the writer is, but it was really just the opposite,” Trump said. This statement directly contradicts the claims in Brown’s book, which recounts that the queen found Trump’s conduct, such as looking over her shoulder during a state visit, to be impolite and disrespectful.
Trump’s insistence on his close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II didn’t stop there. He went on to suggest that they spoke often and shared extended conversations during his visits.
Despite Trump’s claims, Brown’s book provides a different narrative. According to Brown, the queen allegedly described Trump as “very rude” during a lunch with a friend shortly after one of his visits. The queen reportedly speculated that Trump must have “some sort of arrangement” with his wife, Melania, a statement that adds a layer of intrigue to the reported conversation.
This isn’t the first time Trump has been at the center of a controversy involving the British monarchy. His visits to the UK in 2018 and 2019 were marked by breaches of royal protocol, including walking in front of the queen during an inspection of the guard, a move that many observers found disrespectful. However, Trump has consistently maintained that his interactions with the queen were positive and that they shared mutual respect.
In a particularly bold claim, Trump said that the queen had confided in friends that he was her favorite president. “She said to friends of mine that, ‘President Trump was my favorite president.’”
The book’s allegations have sparked debate among royal commentators and the public alike. Some, like former Buckingham Palace staffer Jack Stooks, have dismissed the claims as “ridiculous,” stating that it would be out of character for the queen to express such opinions.
Others, however, believe that the queen’s private thoughts may have differed from the composed and diplomatic persona she maintained publicly. As the longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II met with 13 out of the 14 U.S. presidents during her reign, forming varied relationships with each. From President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whom she invited to her Scottish estate at Balmoral, to President Ronald Reagan, with whom she bonded over a shared love of horses, the queen’s interactions with American leaders have always been a subject of public interest.
The book by Craig Brown, which has brought these allegations to light, is set to further fuel discussions about the queen’s private views on Trump and other controversial figures. As of now, Buckingham Palace has not commented on the book’s claims, in keeping with the royal family’s longstanding policy of refraining from public commentary on unofficial biographies.
Trump’s adamant denials and his insistence that he shared a close bond with the queen are unlikely to quell the speculation. Whether or not the claims in “A Voyage Around the Queen” are accurate, they have once again placed Trump in the spotlight, raising questions about his interactions with one of the most revered figures in modern history.