Paul Johnston

So I wouldn't expect to see anything like that.

There might be just very tiny symbols of, you know, people notice that when I think Trump visited the UK last time around for a state visit, the Queen wore the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

I think the whole Ukraine crisis and Russia's illegal invasion is something that the King does care about and see as a massive threat to European security.

I mean, who knows what they'll see in their private discussions, and I hope they'll stay private.

But when you think of the way Trump has insulted the Pope, one of the few sort of

taboos he hasn't broken or one of the few people he hasn't sort of insulted is the British head of state.

So I think that will be preserved, maybe proved wrong.

I think he will want it to be a successful state visit.

I suspect one of the reasons that we have ceasefires in the Israel-Lebanon and US-Israel-Iran conflicts is that he didn't want pictures of turmoil in the Middle East on a split screen when he was hosting the royals at the White House.

So I think he will want it to be

straightforward happy positive occasion and I think the diplomatic challenge for the King will be what if anything he can say

very privately or very obliquely in public to try and nudge the dial on some of these issues and to try and remind people that although the two governments are going through a difficult patch in their relationships, there's a bigger history of trade, security, people to people connections between our two countries.

Yes.

His mother was Scottish.

She was a great admirer of the late Queen.

Trump himself professed to be a great admirer of the late Queen.

And I think there's something about the magic of the monarchy.

You know, the monarchy is in many ways a made-for-TV institution in some senses.

And he, I think in many ways, is still as a TV executive in the way he approaches parts of the job, the desire to chase headlines and occupy the media space.

And a state visit in either direction is a fantastic media spectacle.