Overview
- Susan Page’s new book, excerpted by USA TODAY, reports that Queen Elizabeth privately called President Trump weeks after his 2019 state visit and, according to Trump’s account, criticized UK ambassador Kim Darroch during the leak crisis.
- The Darroch memos, published by the Mail on Sunday, called Trump insecure and his administration dysfunctional, and the ambassador resigned after the disclosures.
- The excerpt says Marine One’s downwash flattened flowers and gouged the Buckingham Palace lawn during the June 2019 arrival, and a senior palace aide described the Queen as furious.
- At the state dinner, Trump asked the Queen to name her favorite U.S. president and she declined to rank them, while Trump later suggested he was her favorite and Joe and Jill Biden and the Clintons expressed doubt about that claim.
- The Independent highlights Trump’s repeated questions about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the Queen’s refusal to gossip, reflecting a royal practice of private tact and public neutrality in managing diplomacy.