Queen Elizabeth found Donald Trump ‘very rude’ and thought Melania was an ‘arrangement’ wife, biography claims

Queen Elizabeth II found Donald Trump ‘very rude’, a sensational new biography of the late monarch claims.

The sovereign, who hosted the ex-US president twice during her reign, is said to have “particularly disliked” the way he looked over her shoulder as if “in search of others more interesting”.

She also mused over his relationship with his wife Melania and said she believed they must have “some sort of arrangement”.

The astonishing claims are made by Craig Brown in his new book, A Voyage Around The Queen, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail.

He reports the conversation occurred at a lunch “weeks after” one of Mr Trump’s visits.

In his final serialisation instalment on Tuesday, Brown writes: “Over the course of her reign, Her Majesty entertained many controversial foreign leaders, including Bashar al-Assad, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Donald Trump, Emperor Hirohito and Vladimir Putin.”

“She may not have found their company convivial; upon their departure, she may even have voiced a discreet word of disapproval,” he writes.

“A few weeks after President Trump’s visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.

“She also believed President Trump ‘must have some sort of arrangement’ with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him?

“For his part, Donald Trump was confident he had been her favourite guest ever. ‘There are those that say they have never seen the Queen have a better time, a more animated time,’ he later told America’s Fox News.”

Buckingham Palace has not commented on the claim as they do not, by convention, comment on books or biographies generally.

The fascinating account will no doubt come as a blow to Mr Trump, who is currently seeking re-election as President.

He adored Queen Elizabeth and has spoken openly of his admiration for her personally, and for her sense of duty.

She first met him in 2018, a year after he was inaugurated as the 45th US President.

The visit was mired in controversy with protesters in the streets of London and a giant “baby blimp” – a balloon depicting Mr Trump as a baby – given permission to float in the air.

As a result of his political toxicity, it was not a “state visit” but classed as a “working visit”, which meant little in the way of pomp and pageantry and no state banquet.

His meeting with the Queen instead took place over tea at Windsor Castle, with notably no other senior royals present, but did involve the inspection of a guard of honour.

Memorably, Mr Trump was said to have kept the then 92-year-old monarch waiting for ten minutes in 27C (80F) heat and repeatedly walked in front of her as they inspected the guard of honour, leaving her trailing behind.

He then abruptly stopped and forced her to sidestep to get alongside him. However, President Trump did get his much longed-for State Visit the following year.

He was clearly on his best behaviour, determined not to embarrass himself in front of his host. In return, the Queen invited his four children and their spouses to the State Banquet.

The trip was blunder-free until he gave a toast praising her as a “great, great woman” and placed his hand on her back-breaking protocol.

Mr Trump also joined the Queen at an event in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

He later boasted to Fox News of his “great relationship with the Queen”, saying: “We were laughing and having fun. And her people said she hasn’t had so much fun in 25 years.

“Then I got criticised for it because they said we were having too much fun… I feel I know her so well and she certainly knows me very well right now, but we have a very good relationship with the United Kingdom.”

Buckingham Palace sources have said he was a “model” guest who was polite and charming to staff.

When Queen Elizabeth died he issued a statement saying: “Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

He said he and his wife would “always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour”.

He added: “What a grand and beautiful lady she was – there was nobody like her! Our thoughts and prayers will remain with the great people of the United Kingdom as you honour her most meaningful life and exceptional service.”

Former White House adviser Fiona Hill later wrote that Mr Trump was “awestruck” by the Queen, and saw a meeting with her as a sign that he “had made it in life”.

She said he often referred in conversation to his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was originally from Scotland, and her admiration for the monarch.

He also said in an interview ahead of their first meeting: “I really look forward to meeting her. I think she represents her country so well.”

“If you think of it, for so many years she has represented her country, she has really never made a mistake. You don’t see, like, anything embarrassing. She is just an incredible woman.”

Asked later by interviewer Piers Morgan whether he got the feeling she liked him, he said: “Well, I don’t want to speak for her, but I can tell you I liked her. So, usually, that helps. But I liked her a lot.”

The late Queen was renowned for her discretion over her reign, where her unique brand of “soft diplomacy” was used by successive governments to great effect. And it has long been a proud part of her legacy that no one knows much of what she thought about anything or anyone.

In 2016, however, Buckingham Palace reacted angrily over a leaked conversation in which it was claimed that she “backed Brexit”.

They complained about a story in The Sun newspaper which claimed she told former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg at a lunch in 2011 that she thought Europe was going in the wrong direction.

A mortified David Cameron was also forced to apologise in 2014 after he told the former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg that she “purred down the line” when he informed her Scotland had voted against independence.

He said he felt “extremely sorry and very embarrassed” in publicly confirming her delight on the referendum result over whether Scotland should remain in the UK. His remarks – which should have remained private – were picked up by a microphone.