Donald Trump might have been preparing to meet King Charles and Sir Keir Starmer but the women behind these men put forward incredible shows of soft diplomacy during the State Visit
In a world full of posturing politicians guilty of buzz word bingo, this week there’s been plenty on offer with the Trump show in town.
The special relationship has been trumpeted by King Charles at Windsor and the Prime Minister at Chequers, while the pomp and pageantry of the military and monarchy was on full show to woo the US President.
With such spectacles, soft power diplomacy is top of the agenda. So too are the bonds between the main players on the world stage.
But the connections between the supporting cast is equally important. Step forward the women behind the men whose voices have been the ones making the headlines this week.
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The Queen, who has been the steadiest of hands in turbulent times for The Firm over the past couple of years, and the Princess of Wales both presented a masterclass in quiet statesmanship.
Aside from Camilla managing to stop herself cracking up with laughter during Trump’s speech at the state banquet, and the princess keeping her poker face when referred to as beautiful more than once by Trump, their subtle hand in ensuring our US guests were at ease with proceedings set the tone for such a successful visit.
As Trump left for meetings with Sir Keir Starmer after bidding farewell to the King as “a gentleman and a great King”, Camilla led the First Lady on a mini history tour of Windsor Castle, while Kate took Melania on a wholesome visit to meet some impressive young Scouts.
The Chief Scout Dwayne Fields remarked how the First Lady’s “interest in nature and being kind” – two key themes for the Princess’s work and the Scout movement – had helped create a calming environment for the children to thrive and enjoy themselves despite the public engagement.
Let us hope some of that sentiment rubs off on the Donald as he weighs up just how special our relationship is.