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Topics: Donald Trump, King Charles III, Royal Family, US News, UK News
Joe Harker
Topics: Donald Trump, King Charles III, Royal Family, US News, UK News
A body language expert has given their verdict on a moment where Donald Trump broke protocol and made King Charles 'clearly uneasy' during his state visit.
It's Trump's second state visit to the UK and will be a speedier affair than his first one as he and Melania landed in the UK last night (16 September) and have spent today at Windsor Castle in the company of King Charles.
There's been plenty of pomp and ceremony on offer today including a military procession, a Red Arrows flyover and a state banquet, but the state visit ends tomorrow as Trump will visit Sir Keir Starmer in Chequers, while the First Lady spends the day elsewhere and then it's all done and dusted.
Trump's not the easiest person to keep on track with all the royal protocol, you might remember when he walked in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and he made a series of blunders on the day.
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He forgot to bow, got a bit touchy with King Charles and Prince William, and then once again walked out in front of the monarch in a repeat of his previous faux pas.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, body language expert Inbaal Honigman said King Charles was 'clearly uneasy' with some of the things Trump did, but managed to sort things out in the end.
She explained that as Trump and the King were stepping out to walk among the arrayed soldiers, King Charles' good manners precede him' and he gestured in front to show Trump where he was supposed to stand, but the US president instead started walking ahead.
Honigman said Trump likely 'misinterprets the gesture' and King Charles was 'left behind' as Trump started walking on ahead without waiting for his fellow head of state to catch up.
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"As Charles walks up behind him, he is seen with a half-smile on his face, revealing that he is bemused," the body language expert said.
"The Monarch smooths his tie down, which can signify nervousness. He's not sure what to do now. He's faced with two options - to correct Trump and potentially embarrass him, or to go along with what is potentially a break in protocol."
Trump, meanwhile, was 'entirely oblivious to all of this', Honigman said, as she said 'he appears to believe that he's doing everything right'.
She said: "The King's hands are a little tense, and he's really not sure how to resolve the situation. At one point, he attempts a remedy - walking up to stand between Trump and the Guard, but then the president moves, obliviously blocking the King out yet again."
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The expert said that 'a clearly uneasy Charles' could be seen as he was 'shifting his weight from side to side', but he eventually managed to sort things out 'by placing a friendly hand on the President and inviting him to walk ahead with the Guard'.
"That way, he makes it appear as if this was the plan all along," the expert observed.
"At the end of their stroll, Charles places a friendly hand on Trump's back once or twice more, putting him at his ease. As they march back towards their seats, the King walks ahead again."
It's the second time Trump's made this mistake, but it got sorted out in the end.