Somewhat lost in the Trump-meets-the-Queen coverage—yes, she had to tell him where to walk; yes, he upstaged her; no, there was no reason for him or Melania to bow, as he is a head of state (the Queen’s equal, at least in protocol terms), and Melania is not a British subject, but an American citizen—but somewhat lost, as I was saying, was the official photo taken inside Windsor Castle.
How to put it . . . . It’s a doozy? On several levels.
This photo was apparently taken in the Grand Corridor of the Castle. And that, when we see it in writing, would be perfectly innocuous, even flattering. So one can imagine the White House advance team thinking, “‘The Grand Corridor?’ He’ll love that!”
And indeed in this photo 45 seems absolutely delighted to be there and to have his picture taken with the Queen. His ego, as we know, needs every possible boost.
That need has not gone unnoticed in the British press. The Scotsman, for example, has quoted a “body language expert” as saying that 45 looks like “a delighted child” in this photo. Which is a bit embarrassing for those of us who like our American diplomacy mature and dignified.
But there’s more....
In contrast to the official photos of the Obamas meeting the Queen by the fireplace at the Palace—and meeting Prince Philip, too, though he seems to have skipped tea with the Trumps; perhaps Prince Philip skived off, as the Brits would say—the President and the Queen here are pictured in what must be the most over-the-top part of the Castle. Dark, gloomy, rather 19th-century.
Really not the most cheerful place for a photo op.
Furthermore…. Let your eyes linger over the decor a bit.
Spotted them? The two flambeaux, with the lights (extinguished) held up by putti, also known as children?
Is this a comment on Trump’s very poor taste?
On his hair, like the flambeau lights, so artfully swirled?
Or on his policy of separating children from their parents?
We may never know.
But a royal family belongs together too.