We are just two weeks away from the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.
(The occasion will be sad for Grover Cleveland enthusiasts, as the two-time White House resident will lose his position as the only president to serve non-consecutive terms.)
Now, we probably don’t need to tell you that Trump has a tendency to show off and feels a little competitive toward former presidents.
So it should come as no surprise that the former reality show host is taking steps to make his inauguration the most memorable (and, yes, biggest) yet.
According to a recent CNN report, one way Trump will differentiate this occasion from previous inaugurations is that he will invite a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries to his swearing-in ceremony.
The outlet reports that Trump’s team was quick to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping, though it is still unclear whether he will attend the ceremony.
And now, Fox News is reporting that the leader of the world’s most populous country may be joined by some very famous representatives of our country’s closest allies.
Writing for the outlet, royal expert Neil Sean says insiders told him that “Both William and Catherine, along with the King and Queen, have all been invited to Trump’s inauguration on January 20 in Washington, D.C. “
William met Trump last month when both were in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
The two spoke at length and Trump later praised the future king.
So it’s easy to believe Shawn’s claim that the royal family has been invited to the inauguration. But will they join in?
The “special relationship” between the US and Britain is extremely important to both countries, and declining an invitation could be seen as insulting snub.
But Trump’s history with the royal family is long and complicated, and Charles and company may decide that their best move would be to stay away from the ceremony.
Before his re-election, Trump had hinted at plans to deport Prince Harry in response to revelations of his drug use in his 2023 memoir.
And Trump’s son Eric Trump recently made derogatory comments about Harry and wife Meghan Markle in October 2024.
Apparently, the royals are not on good terms with Harry and Meghan at the moment. But William probably still feels more loyalty to his brother than to the American politician he first spoke to a few weeks ago.
And the royals certainly know that their attendance at the inauguration will be seen as an endorsement of Trump — which would make it a violation of the family’s long-standing trend toward neutrality in matters of foreign politics.
In short, if we had to guess, we’d say the royal family would No Get ready for the inauguration – but then again, 2025 has already surprised us several times, and we haven’t even been in a week!