White House Makes Royal Gaffe Ahead of Melania and Donald Trump's Visit to Queen Elizabeth

Donald and Melania Trump have already been to England, and have already met the Queen, but they’ve just accepted an invitation to Buckingham Palace for their first formal state visit, which according to the Associated Press, typically involves quite a bit of fanfare. 

The three-day visit, taking place from June 3-5, comes less than a year after the Trumps made an official visit to England and met Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. During that meeting, they appeared to keep the Queen waiting — though Donald Trump later claimed that the Queen was the one who kept him waiting — and inspired mass protests across London from Brits who were really not thrilled about the Trumps’ visit.

(The AP notes that “more protests are all but certain this time around.”)

AP reports that although many presidents have gone on official visits to the U.K., only two — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — have been honored with state visits, which usually include ceremonial greetings, a horse-drawn carriage ride and a banquet with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

But state visits aren’t just all about pomp and circumstance — according to the BBC,  they’re formal visits by a head of state and are normally done at the invitation of the Queen, who acts on advice from the government. Prime Minister Theresa May had promised Trump a state visit after he was elected in 2016, but no formal date was set until now. State visits have political purpose, and are used by the government of the day to further Britain’s national interests.

On Tuesday, Trump released a statement about the upcoming visit, which reads, “President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump accepted the invitation of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to visit the United Kingdom from June 3 to 5, 2019. This state visit will reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”

As some have pointed out, however, there’s a slight flub in the statement — the Queen should be referred to as “Her Majesty” or “Your Majesty,” not “Her Royal Majesty.”

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A royal source has told CNN that there will be no carriage procession for Trump’s forthcoming visit, and the Queen is unable to host the presidential couple overnight at the palace, due to long-term refurbishment work. 

At least he’ll still get lunch and dinner at Buckingham Palace?

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