Prince William is in Paris today, along with world leaders from all over the globe, to mark the opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been renovated after that devastating fire five years ago. Crucially, Prince William is meeting with Donald Trump at the UK ambassador’s residence. This is a significant opportunity for the heir to the British throne to meet with the next US president and discuss Britain’s special relationship with the US.
Some people have raised their eyebrows about why Prime Minister Keir Starmer hasn’t gone to represent Britain at this important international event. Downing Street has told us that the invitation was extended to the Palace because the royal family is traditionally seen as our formal head of state.
Emmanuel Macron extended the invite to Buckingham Palace rather than Downing Street. Interestingly, we know, don’t we, that Donald Trump is a huge fan of the British royal family. So, it may actually be quite advantageous for Keir Starmer to deploy Prince William—the heir-in-waiting—and use him to warm up the relationship with Donald Trump, fostering the special relationship behind the scenes.
Britain’s special relationship with the United States is under the spotlight at the moment. Donald Trump has just been re-elected as the US president after a gap of five years, but he has quite a tense relationship with our Labour government here in the UK. Labour sent activists over to campaign against him and for Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, in the race for the White House. So, it’s not the easiest of relationships.
Both our Labour government and Donald Trump have made public statements about how the special relationship between the UK and the US remains close. However, Donald Trump has also threatened to impose big punitive tariffs on exports to the US, which could severely harm the UK economy if we’re included in that list.
Behind the scenes, Number 10 is doing everything it can to rebuild relations with this Republican president-to-be and ensure that the UK is not hit by those crippling tariffs, which are expected to come into effect in just a few months.
