Russian propagandists have been amplifying similar concerns, with the St. Petersburg-based Russia News noting: “No red carpet for him in London, just the airplane runway and a few soldiers!” Russia Today noted in a tweet: “NO red carpet for Trump in London. Just tarmac for the Don. PM Kier Starmer rolled out a red carpet for Zelenskyy last month.”
What they don’t realize is that Britain’s only red carpet was being used to restrain Prince Andrew lest he got close to Trump so they could reminisce about … old times.
Whether Trump was snubbed or not, he was treated to the full British royal experience, minus one rather important detail — the entire thing was kept so far away from the public that it might as well have been happening on the Moon. The high point was a golden carriage ride through the Windsor Castle estate, but with no people there apart from some soldiers who had to be present.
Richard Eden, diary editor of the Daily Mail, described the carriage ride as “embarrassing, like a fairground ride to entertain the US President.”
But Trump loves the pagentary and being made a fuss of. He’s a bit like Czar Paul I (no relation) of Russia, Catherine the Great’s son, who also had an obsession with military pomp and circumstance. He loved parades, and ordered they take place every day in the grounds of his palaces.
Paul I was also very strict, ordering soldiers to be flogged for making mistakes, and he once demanded that an entire regiment march to Siberia as punishment for a poor performance (relenting after they had covered a dozen miles). That’s not far off how Trump treats European leaders, with Siberia replaced by tariffs.