Duke of York irons out snags with fellow golfer Trump
Palace exploits mutual love of the game to put Prince with president in effort to keep state visit gaffe-free
THE Duke of York is being used as a secret weapon by Buckingham Palace to defuse potential diplomatic disasters during the state visit of Donald Trump.
In what has been labelled “golfcourse diplomacy”, British officials have taken the unusual step of ensuring the Duke is alongside the president for two of the three days he is in the UK.
It is hoped the pair’s shared passion for business – but more importantly, their mutual love of golf – will help them bond, letting the prince exert a subtle influence over the politician.
They met nearly 20 years ago when the Duke visited Mr Trump and his then girlfriend Melania Knauss at the businessman’s $200million (£158million) Mar-a-Lago estate and golf course in Palm Beach, Florida.
They were both friends with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier convicted of child sex offences, who was also a regular at the complex.
The Duke’s work as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment has meant he has, like the president, rubbed shoulders with many leading entrepreneurs. But their golf obsession is expected to prove pivotal in forging their friendship. It has been estimated Mr Trump has spent more than 100 days of his presidency playing the game. Shortly before his last UK visit it was rumoured he would play a round with the Duke at his Turnberry course. The Duke, who has played top courses around the world, has honed his game to such an extent he is qualified to play it professionally.
In recent weeks there have been increasing concerns that Mr Trump’s state visit could be hampered by protests as well as by personality clashes.
Demonstrators have promised to lay siege to Downing Street this week to disrupt Mr Trump’s visit despite police imposing a ban on marching down Whitehall. Tens of thousands of protestors are set to descend on central London on Tuesday. Mr Trump’s opposition to claims that the planet is undergoing irreparable climate change is expected to put him on a collision course with the Prince of Wales, who supports environmental causes. Fears were compounded yesterday when Mr Trump breached diplomatic protocol by airing opinions in The Sun.
As well as throwing his weight behind Boris Johnson as the next prime minister, the president expressed his eagerness to discuss climate policies with the Prince.
He also called comments made by the Duchess of Sussex “nasty” after he was told of her opposition to his presidency. In 2016, she called Mr Trump misogynistic, branded his style of politics “divisive” and hinted she would move to Canada if he became US president. She was also open in her support for his Democrat rival, Hillary Clinton.
Asked if he was aware of her comments, Mr Trump told the newspaper: “I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty.”
The Duchess will not meet Mr Trump as she is on maternity leave with newborn son Archie. Instead the president will meet the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke of Sussex at Buckingham Palace tomorrow.
Mr and Mrs Trump will tour Westminster Abbey tomorrow with the Duke of York, who will join him at a business breakfast in St James’s Palace on Tuesday.