No room for the Trumps at Buckingham Palace: President and his wife won't stay with Queen like Bush and Obama did because of East Wing renovation work
- Mr and Mrs Trump are likely to stay at residence of U.S. ambassador in London
- Royal aides insisted there was no snub intended to the President and First Lady
- Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush both stayed at the Palace
Donald Trump and his wife Melania will not be able to stay at Buckingham Palace – because building work is being carried out.
Sources said the monarch would not host her visitors overnight as the East Wing has been closed, meaning there is no room to house his substantial retinue.
It is an unusual move for such a prestigious official visit, but aides insisted there was no snub intended. They said the work began last autumn – long before the idea of a state visit began to take shape.
The Palace is undergoing a massive ten-year, £365million programme of renovations after some areas of the crumbling building were deemed a major health and safety hazard.
Donald Trump (centre) and his wife Melania (left) will not stay with the Queen (right, pictured during the President's visit last year) because of renovation work at Buckingham Palace
Renovation work in Buckingham Palace's East Wing (pictured left) means Trump will stay elsewhere. He may face fresh protests from the organisers of last years's baby blimp (right)
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Much of the wiring dates back to before the Queen's coronation. Senior members of the Royal Family have already had to move out of private quarters, including Princess Anne.
Six unsavoury characters who had the same honour
President Xi Jinping - October 2015
During his state visit, protesters turned out in force with members of Amnesty International, pro-Tibet campaigners and followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual practice.
King Abdullah - October 2007
Saudi Arabia's treatment of women and gays were highlighted during the state visit, with protests staged outside the Saudi embassy. Demonstrators also lined The Mall and shouted 'shame on you'.
Xi Jinping and the Queen in October 2015
Vladimir Putin - June 2003
The Russian president's visit was marked by protests against his repression of Chechen separatists. The visit happened three years before the London murder of dissident Alexander Litvinenko.
Emperor Akihito - May 1998
The Japanese emperor was met with hostility from British ex-prisoners of war who turned their backs as he and the Queen travelled down the Mall. The emperor later spoke of his 'deep sorrow and pain' over the Second World War, but stopped short of apologising.
Robert Mugabe - May 1994
The Zimbabwean dictator had a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace. Mugabe was made an Honorary Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath during the visit. But he was later stripped of the honour.
Nicolae Ceausescu - June 1978
Shortly before the Romanian's arrival, French President Valery Giscard D'Estaing phoned the Queen to warn that Ceausescu had walked off with valuables from their state rooms on a visit to Paris.
Even the Queen may be forced to leave her official London home for a time in the future.
A Palace statement said further details of the visit would be announced in due course. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle enjoyed the Queen's hospitality when they made a state visit in 2011.
Sources said the Trumps would have been expected to stay in the historic Belgian Suite, to the rear of the Palace, which is still operational.
But none of their aides or staff could be accommodated due to the East Wing closure.
The East Wing has been emptied of its contents – including 10,000 works of art – as a gargantuan programme of electrical and plumbing works takes place. There is no suggestion the couple will be offered accommodation elsewhere, such as Windsor Castle, meaning they will most likely take up residence at the palatial London home of the US Ambassador – where they stayed last summer.
Sources have stressed that all the normal elements expected of a state visit will take place at Buckingham Palace over the three-days the couple are in London. This includes a lunch with the Queen and other senior royals, a glittering state banquet, the official exchanging of gifts and a viewing of a display of Anglo-US historical artefacts, organised by the Royal Collection.
However, there will be no formal greeting on The Mall, an inspection of troops and an open-topped carriage drive down to Buckingham Palace.
Sources stressed that the Trump visit was being modelled on that of President Obama, who opted not to have a carriage drive because of security concerns.
The move will keep President Trump inside the royal residence as much as possible – away from crowds and potential demonstrators. It is likely that royal aides will include an element of pomp and ceremony when President Trump is formally welcomed to the Palace, including an inspection of a guard of honour, so that his nose is not 'put out of joint'.
Special menus will be drawn up, taking into account the likes of the fast food-loving American leader. He may need a little extra prompting on the night of the banquet as, according to tradition, the menus are written in French, in which the Queen is all but fluent.
During his last visit to the UK Trump stayed at Winfield House (pictured), the residence of the American ambassador in London
During Trump's previous visit in 2018 more than 100,000 people - including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - took to the streets (pictured in London) to protest against his politics
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with the then US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama during the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in May 2011
Buckingham Palace and The White House yesterday announced the visit simultaneously. But President Trump's office made a blunder in its press release, stating that the couple had accepted the invitation of 'Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II', which is not a formal means of address. It appears staff may have confused the Queen's official title – Her Majesty – with the 'lesser' rank of Her Royal Highness, which is used by other senior royals.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may miss the banquet in honour of Mr Trump – as they are likely to be the parents of a month-old baby then. Buckingham Palace yesterday declined to comment on which members of the Royal Family would be involved.
Sources close to Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan could only say: 'It's a bit early and a little too difficult for us to make any scheduling decisions at the moment.'
Meghan was a vocal critic of the President before her marriage to Harry – calling him 'divisive' and 'misogynistic'.
Harry is also said to have been critical of the President in private, although Kensington Palace has denied this.
