Mother’s love of British royalty is behind his flair for showmanship, Trump says

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s flamboyant style has English royal roots, the U.S. president-elect revealed Saturday, citing his Scottish mother’s love of British tradition as the origin of his own instinct for showmanship.

“She loved all the pomp,” Trump said of Mary Anne Trump, who cherished the Royal Family.

“The Buckingham Palace thing, she thought it was so beautiful — the Changing of the Guard. She loved the Queen,” he said at his New York penthouse.

Despite his taste for garish interior design, the incoming president said he had no plans to give the White House the Trump treatment. He had suggested he would “touch up” the building, prompting visions of gold taps and marble-topped tables.

But he said: “I think the White House is such a special place, and it has such special meaning for Americans, especially, and the world. Nothing would change. The White House will remain the way it is.”

During the hour-long interview on Fox News, Trump toured his penthouse with Harvey Levin, who asked fawning questions about the president-elect’s personal tastes and family life.

Visitors to the Central Park residence are greeted with gold and diamond-encrusted front doors that open to a gaudy scene of gold leaf and ceilings painted with scenes from Greek mythology.

The rococo decor was part-inspired by the interiors of the Palace of Versailles in France.