Royals 'front and centre' in PM's plan to charm Trump

The King and the Prince of Wales are to be "front and centre" of a charm offensive on Donald Trump as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to bypass Nigel Farage and repair the damaged relationship with the president-elect and his team.

- DAVID MADDOX, MILLIE COOKE

A diplomat has told The Independent that Mr Trump’s love for the royal family is seen as “the way to his heart”, as the fallout from the US election continues to overshadow the UK-US special relationship.

Speaking to The Independent, Sir Keir said that the UK-US connection is “a special relationship forged in extremely difficult circumstances” because of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

But with question marks over how to resolve difficulties between a Trump White House and a Labour UK government, it is understood that part of the calculation in sending Prince William alone to the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris earlier this month was to enable him to start building a relationship with Mr Trump.

It is thought putting in a “proper operator” as ambassador, with Lord Peter Mandelson heading to Washington, is only part of a complex plan to try to get the relationship back on track.

While one source close to foreign secretary David Lammy insists that “normal government business continues”, there have been question marks over rows with Mr Trump’s ally Elon Musk, who has publicly criticised Sir Keir and voiced anger over Labour helping Kamala Harris in the US election.

Sources in the Trump team have confirmed they are furious about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. A former chief of staff branded the Labour peer “a moron” and others inside the camp described Sir Keir’s choice as “a horrible, arrogant” choice.

Added to the problems, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has just become the first UK party leader invited to Mr Trump’s Mar-aLago home since the election.