Trump insists he was the late Queen’s favourite president — but recollections may vary

Former president rejects claims of rudeness towards the late Queen made in an upcoming biography

Donald Trump has denied a report that he was “very rude” to Elizabeth II, insisting that he was “her favourite president”.
Trump responded to claims made in an upcoming biography of the late monarch, which recounts how the late Queen “particularly disliked” the way Trump looked over her shoulder as if he was “in search of others more interesting”.
But speaking to the Daily Mail, which is serialising Voyage Around the Queen by Craig Brown, Trump insisted he spent hours with Elizabeth II and that they “warmed to each other” during their meetings.
“It was totally false. I have no idea who the writer is, but it was really just the opposite,” Trump said. “I heard I was her favourite president.”
One extract from the book reads: “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.”
Trump, who is vying for a return to the White House this November, has repeatedly spoken about his fondness for the Royal family, which he claims to have inherited from his Scottish mother.
He met the late Queen in 2018 during an informal trip to the UK, which caused protests in London.
A year later, Trump was hosted as part of an official state visit, during which he broke royal protocol by placing his hand on the Queen’s back as he described her as a “great, great woman”.