There’s a long history of gift-giving between the royal family and American presidents. I mean, every world leader who visits the Queen is expected to bring a gift, and they can expect to receive a gift as well. The Queen is surprisingly thoughtful gift-giver, and by that I mean that her staff does good research and there’s likely a huge meeting between staffs to figure out which gifts should be given and received. The best gift for the Queen is likely jewelry, right? The Obamas gave her a small brooch during one of their visits, and she wears it often enough. So the Trumps decided to do the same: they gave the Queen a brooch. Here’s more about the gift exchange:
The Trumps came bearing a Tiffany & Co. silver and silk poppy brooch in a custom White House wood jewelry box in a red leather box for Queen Elizabeth II, according to the White House. For her husband, Prince Philip, they brought a personalized Air Force One jacket and signed autobiography by American General and famed World War II air commander James Doolittle, “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.”
Though Prince Philip left active duty naval service when he married then-Princess Elizabeth, he holds a number of military appointments, including as Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
The first lady was “very involved with the gift selection,” her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said. “Working with the State Department, Mrs. Trump takes great care in selecting meaningful gifts,” she added.
Likewise, the Trumps were presented with thoughtful gifts of their own in keeping with longstanding tradition. For the President, the Queen gifted a 1959 first edition copy of Winston Churchill’s “The Second World War” bound in full crimson goatskin with gold tooling and a three-piece Duofold pen set. Trump has a known affinity for Churchill; in one of his first notable acts as President, he restored the bust of Winston Churchill, which had been moved during the Obama administration, to the Oval Office. For the first lady, a specially commissioned silver box with a handcrafted enamel lid.
[From CNN]
Well, what could the Queen do? Giving Trump a special book on Churchill was never going to be ideal, because Trump is illiterate and he really doesn’t know anything about Churchill, truly. But I’m sure he liked the pen set. She could have given him Sharpies and a big Mac and he would have been happy. I’m sure Melania liked her silver box. “But it’s not gold, Donald?” As for the poppy pin… yes, I guess credit to Melania – that was thoughtful.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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