Sky Views: Questions unanswered over Trump's UK visit
Saturday 7 July 2018 09:59, UK
Adam Boulton, editor at large
A joke is doing the rounds as a curtain raiser to President Donald Trump's arrival in the UK next week.
It goes like this...
A senior cabinet minister is sent to inform the Queen that, on her behalf, Theresa May has invited Trump to come on a state visit.
"Oh very well, what does he want to do?" the Queen asks.
"He'd like to ride with Your Majesty down the Mall in your finest open-top carriage," says the cabinet minister.
"We don't normally do that!" the Queen replies.
"May I humbly ask why Your Majesty?"
"Snipers!... But I can see that might not be such a problem in this case."
Even in the confidentiality of an Audience we can be sure that the Queen would never express such sentiments.
During her long reign, she has stoically done her duty entertaining despots including Ceausescu, Mugabe and Assad, and authoritarian strongmen including Putin and Xi Jinping.
The United States is Britain's long-standing ally and friend with which we claim to enjoy a unique "special relationship".
Her Majesty has met every American president in her time - head of state to head of state.
Trump's imminent arrival is not the promised state visit. That was an unprecedentedly premature invitation from the prime minister just days into Trump's presidency.
Some 1.6 million people signed a House of Commons petition demanding that it be rescinded.
A state visit normally requires the guests to stay with the Queen for at least one night in one of her palaces.
Then there are two official banquets, one hosted by the monarch, the other by the visitor.
None of this is on the Trump's agenda this time.
Hot-footing from the Nato summit in Belgium, Air Force One is due to arrive at a London airport on Thursday evening.
Donald and Melania Trump will travel by their own Marine One helicopter to stay at the US ambassador's residence in Regent's Park in London.
The next day he will hold talks with the Queen at Windsor Castle and with the prime,inister at Chequers, her official country residence in Buckinghamshire.
The banquet will be at Blenheim Palace. This is the Duke of Marlborough's estate outside Oxford.
It is not a royal palace but its grandeur and family connections to Sir Winston Churchill are designed to appeal to Trump. Then he'll head to Scotland to visit his golf courses, Trump Turnberry and Trump Aberdeen.
Readers will have noticed that all of these are private locations surrounded by many acres of green fields and park land.
The security cordon around the president will be broad and strong. He is unlikely to see any of the protests which are being prepared for him, except on TV.
In London, on Friday 13 July, a "Stop Trump" mass rally is planned in central London.
Demonstrators will fly a giant Baby Trump balloon, or blimp, above the capital, having been given permission by the mayor of London.
Both mayor Sadiq Khan and London have been on the receiving end of Twitter abuse from the president.
Trump will not be taking to the streets of London to visit the new US embassy in Nine Elms, which he tweeted was in an "off location" due to a "bad deal" struck by the Obama administration. The move was approved during the presidency of George W Bush.
He will, however, be accompanied by his wife Melania.
The First Lady has expressed an interest in visiting a school here to talk to children about her "Be Best" campaign against bullying, especially online.
As ever, this president's plans are subject to change on his personal whim.
Already, neither the British government nor US diplomats are fully in the picture on his movements.
It's not clear which politicians he is likely to meet while he's here.
Nigel Farage claims the UK government vetoed his reunion with Trump.
The leader of the opposition would normally be on the list but Jeremy Corbyn told Paste BN that Mrs May had "ample reason" to dis-invite him.
Scotland's first minister says she is available to meet but she may have blotted her copy book.
The SNP government has successfully demanded that the UK government pay for its share of the cost of policing his visit "to appease Scottish anger".
As ever, this president's plans are subject to change on his personal whim. Already, neither the British government nor US diplomats are fully in the picture on his movements.
Showing that he speaks fluent Trump, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has already promised "the greatest visit ever".
The US ambassador Woody Johnson reciprocated with a 4th of July column in the Daily Mail urging the British to make the best of Brexit.
In truth, diplomats are hoping that strong feelings about Trump will have abated by the time he comes here for his full state visit.
In a recent TV documentary, Sir Mark Sedwill, the prime minister's national security advisor, let slip that that is likely to be next summer - possibly coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of VE day in May.
This week though the big question is who will get to tee-off with the president at his Great British golf courses?
Piers Morgan and Prince Andrew are the most obvious candidates - taking one for the team entertaining Trump.
Sky Views is a series of comment pieces by Paste BN editors and correspondents, published every morning.
Previously on Sky Views: John Sparks - The African king 'pimping his subjects'