Melania Trump became pen pals with after bonding over the environment in a positive development for an at-times rocky relationship between the Trumps and the royals.
Donald Trump reported infuriated Charles, and after he publicly blamed Princess Kate for a scandal in which a photographer captured long-lens pictures of her sunbathing in a private French château.
The former first lady described striking up a friendship with the king by post after being at a state banquet during a previous state visit in 2019. “The evening’s state banquet was a formal and elegant affair,” Melania wrote, as quoted in U.K. newspaper The Independent. “I was seated next to Prince Charles, and it was an absolute pleasure to reconnect with him.
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“Our paths had crossed many years ago in New York City. This time, we engaged in an interesting conversation about his deep-rooted commitment to environmental conservation,” Melania added.
“Sadly, Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II] wasn’t able to visit us again before her death in 2022,” she said, “but our friendship with the continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day.”
between the Trumps and the royals, however.
Christopher Andersen wrote in his royal biography The King: The Life of Charles III: “It didn’t help that Trump had aggressively pursued after her divorce—overtures that were rebuffed—and claimed later on a radio program that he could have ‘nailed her if I wanted to,’ but only if she passed an HIV test.”
However, Trump later from Charles, William and Harry after Kate was photographed topless by a paparazzi photographer using a long lens to film over the wall of a private residence in France from a nearby hill in summer 2012.
At the time, he posted on X, then known as Twitter: “Kate Middleton is great—but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude—only herself to blame.
“Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!” Trump added.
Andersen wrote: “Trump’s criticism of Kate resulted in what one Clarence House butler referred to as ‘torrents of profanity’ from both Prince Charles and his sons.”
William and Kate sued French magazine Closer for publishing the images, and the prince issued a letter to the court that said the incident was “particularly shocking because it reminded us of the harassment that led to the death of my mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.”
Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com‘s
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