When one is invited to a fancy dinner party, it is customary to bring a hostess gift. But in the case of Donald and Melania Trump, who attended a state visit and banquet at Buckingham Palace last night with Queen Elizabeth and most of the senior members of the Royal Family, no mere bottle of wine (even from his own vineyard) would suffice.
The President and First Lady brought the Queen a silver and silk Tiffany & Co. poppy brooch, in a custom wood White House jewelry box in a red leather box. The poppy is a symbol of a remembrance, usually of the soldiers lost in the First World War, but it may have been chosen in part to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which is Thursday. Both the Queen and President Trump will attend memorial events in the coming days.
The Trumps also brought Prince Philip a gift. Though the Duke of Edinburgh was not in attendance at any of the official events, the President and First Lady gave him a personalized Air Force One jacket and the signed autobiography of legendary World War II aviator James Doolittle, I Could Never Be So Lucky Again. Prince Philip is a pilot and World War II veteran.
Gift giving at the president-to-queen level is a delicate and highly choreographed affair, involving consultation with the State Department and a nuanced understanding of protocol. The gift should be personal but also a nod to both nations' shared history. The Queen gave Trump an abridged first edition of Winston Churchill's book, The Second World War, a nod again to the shared history between the U.S. and the U.K. in World War II and President Trump's personal affinity for the legendary British Prime Minister. Trump has a bust of Churchill, who was prime minister when the Queen ascended throne, in the oval office at the White House.
For Melania Trump, the Queen helped choose a silver box that featured rose, thistle, and shamrock images similar to the ceiling pattern in Buckingham Palace's music room.
Yesterday, the Queen led the President and First Lady on a tour of artifacts from the Royal Collection, which were on display at Buckingham Palace. These included a copy of the Declaration of Independence from the British Archive. It was a scene of calm, underscoring the long history of friendship between the two nations, which the Queen and the President hoped to emphasize. Outside the Palace, on the streets of London, thousands gathered to protest Trump, a sign that this relationship, like so many others, is in a state of flux.
Elizabeth Angell is the Executive Editor, Digital for Town & Country, where she writes about the British Royal Family, the Kennedys, Ivy League shenanigans, superstars of interior design, and trends in style, beauty, and home.
