King Charles has met Donald Trump on a number of occasions over the years, and he's set to see the U.S. president once again during Trump's official state visit to the United Kingdom in September. President Trump previously traveled to the U.K. during his first term in 2019, and in July, Buckingham Palace announced his unprecedented second state visit will take place between Sept. 17 and 19. During the trip—which will include a state banquet—the Royal Family will also be reunited with first lady Melania Trump, who has become a pen pal of sorts with The King.
In her memoir Melania, the first lady detailed what it was like visiting London during Queen Elizabeth's reign and revealed that she and her husband kept in touch with King Charles. Describing the end of their June 2019 trip, she wrote: "As we bid farewell to Her Majesty, we extended a cordial invitation for her return visit to the United States. She expressed her gratitude with a warm smile. Sadly, Her Majesty wasn’t able to visit with us again before her death in 2022, but our friendship with the Royal Family continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day.”
Per Hello!, the first lady has noted that she wrote to The King on another occasion, stating, "We kept in touch through letters, exchanging thoughts and ideas regularly." Apparently, the two share interests such as "architecture, gardens, and the arts."
In her memoir, Mrs. Trump also shared that she spoke to The King—then the Prince of Wales—about the environment during the "formal and elegant" banquet hosted in honor of the U.S. state visit. "Our paths had crossed many years ago in New York City,” Melania said of King Charles. "This time we engaged in an interesting conversation about his deep-rooted commitment to environmental conservation."
In addition to the state banquet, the first lady also wrote about the "warm" feelings she and the president shared toward the Royal Family. "Donald and I hosted an intimate dinner in honor of Prince Charles and the Duchess at the US ambassador’s residence—a perfect expression of the enduring ties between our nations," she wrote of their 2019 trip.
She added, "Despite the tumultuous backdrop of British politics at the time surrounding Brexit and changes at the Prime Minister’s office, the Queen and her family extended a warm welcome to us, treating us with the utmost hospitality."
