SIR Keir Starmer played his trump card in the White House tonight – handing Donald Trump a hand-signed note from the King inviting him to Britain.
The Prime Minister began his meeting with the US President in the Oval Office by presenting a special invitation for a second state visit to Balmoral, creating a memorable moment.
The King’s note suggested holding the discussions at the royal residence just a few miles from the Trump International Golf Links course at Menie.
A delighted President Trump immediately accepted the invitation, hailing both Starmer and the King as special and beautiful.
This gesture initiated a remarkable display of affection at the White House, with President Trump expressing admiration for Sir Keir’s wife, Lady Victoria, and his fondness for Britain.
Mr Trump said: “It’s a great honour to have Prime Minister Starmer at the Oval Office.
“It’s a very special place and he’s a special man – and the United Kingdom is a wonderful country that I know very well, I’m there a lot.
“I’ll be going there and we expect to see each other in the near future – we’ll be announcing it.”
Mr Trump initially asked whether he was allowed to read the letter in front of the assembled reporters in the White House.
Starmer said he had to tell the monarch what his reaction was to the invitation.
The PM said: “It is my pleasure to bring from His Majesty the King, a letter.
President Trump conveyed his regards and best wishes to the Prime Minister and handed over a letter from the King during the meeting.
The US President replied: “He is a great gentleman. A great, great gentleman. Well that is really nice. I must make sure his signatures on that.
Remarking on the King’s famous hand-writing, he said: “That’s quite a signature, isn’t it? How beautiful. Beautiful man, a wonderful man and we appreciate I’ve known him, gotten to know him very well actually.”
The royal family’s soft power diplomacy is seen as a way of engaging with the controversial politician.
Most second-term US presidents usually have just tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle which was the case with George W Bush and Barack Obama.
It is my pleasure to bring from His Majesty the King, a letter.
Keir Starmer
Mr Trump immediately told him that he would visit Balmoral with wife Melania saying it was “our honour” to take up the invitation.
The meeting will take place just a few miles from Trump’s golf resort at the nearby 1,400-acre Menie estate.
A beaming US President didn’t hesitate in holding up the letter even though the letter had “Private and Confidential” written at the bottom.
The King has invited Mr Trump to Balmoral in the first instance to discuss organising the state visit.
It marks the second time Mr Trump will head to Britain in such circumstances having been invited by the late Queen back in 2019.
The letter appeared to be an attempt to smooth relations ahead of potentially fraught discussions over a peace deal in Ukraine and damaging tariffs on British goods heading stateside.
STATE VISIT
Mr Trump said: “It’s a great honour to have Prime Minister Starmer at the Oval Office.
“It’s a very special place and he’s a special man – and the United Kingdom is a wonderful country that I know very well, I’m there a lot.
“I’ll be going there and we expect to see each other in the near future – we’ll be announcing it.”
Mr Trump initially asked whether he was allowed to read the letter in front of the assembled reporters in the White House.
The royal family’s soft power diplomacy is seen as a way of engaging with the controversial politician.
Most second-term US presidents usually have just tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle which was the case with George W Bush and Barack Obama.
Earlier, Donald Trump greeted Sir Keir Starmer – who arrived in a 4×4 Chevrolet – at the West Wing entrance to his residence in Washington DC.
The pair warmly shook hands with the Prime Minister touching the US leader on the shoulder before they entered the building.
They posed for photographers for a few seconds where Mr Trump was asked whether a peace deal to stop the Ukraine war could be achieved. The President swiftly replied with a simple “Yes, we can.”
Sir Keir was followed into the White House by Foreign Secretary David Lammy as well as new UK Ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson.
It marks the second in-person meeting the two men have had. They last me face-to-face in New York while Sir Keir was in the States for meetings at the United Nations.
They held a dinner at Trump Tower in Manhattan where they were joined by Mr Lammy.
Mr Trump has spoken warmly of Sir Keir in the past saying he was doing a “very good job thus far” adding that the pair have a “very good relationship”.
The strong bond between the two countries, often branded the Special Relationship, was highlighted at the meeting by both leaders.
The PM said the alliance was “the greatest alliance for prosperity and security … the world has ever seen”.
This [UK and USA] is the greatest alliance for prosperity and security, I think, the world has ever seen.
Keir Starmer
President Donald Trump, turning towards his counterpart, said: “You have done very well over the years, haven’t you?”
Sir Keir added “We have, I’m very proud of our country – but we’ve also always been there backing each other up.
“That is why this is the greatest alliance for prosperity and security, I think, the world has ever seen.
“Whenever necessary, we’ve absolutely backed each other up.”
Mr Trump even found time to praise Sir Keir’s wife Victoria who wasn’t in Washington DC for the visit.
Lady Starmer has previously been to the White House when she joined fellow world leaders during the Nato summit which was hosted by then President Joe Biden.
He said: “I must say, she’s a beautiful, great woman.” Sir Keir intervened to say: “I second that.”
Mr Trump added: “And I said, ‘you’re very lucky’. He’s very lucky. And, no, we’ve had a very good relationship.”
