Donald Trump is everywhere, including Sandringham House, the brick mansion about 190 kilometers north of London that Queen Victoria acquired in 1862 and that today is one of the residences of her great-great-grandson, Charles III.
Trump's specter hovered over Sandringham on Monday as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the king in what would be their last official meeting, as he leaves office on Sunday. The audience had been requested by Trudeau, and although, according to custom, the British Royal Household did not comment on the topics discussed, one of the most important was Trump's constant threat to launch an economic war against Canada and annex it to the United States.
The attitude of the U.S. president directly affects Charles III for a very simple reason: he is the head of state of Canada, as well as of other 14 former British colonies, mainly in the Caribbean, but also in the Pacific, such as Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, in the case of an even more improbable annexation of Canada by the United States, the British Monarchy would lose that title, which is honorary but emotionally significant. Additionally, there is also the psychological aspect: Americans have a genuine devotion to monarchies in general and to the British monarchy in particular. So, the position of Buckingham Palace may have some relevance in such a ridiculous yet complicated situation between two neighboring and allied countries.
The British Royal Household has maintained absolute silence in the face of the threats, bluster, and outright insults directed by Trump at the sovereignty of its northern neighbor. This, in turn, has sparked some debate in Canada. For some, it would not hurt for the king to remind of the inviolability of Canadian sovereignty. Others, however, argue that the monarch only acts on the advice of the Ottawa government, that is, of Trudeau himself.
On Sunday, in London, where he had attended the summit of European countries in support of Ukraine, Trudeau made it clear that Trump's surreal expansionism would be addressed at Sandringham House. "Nothing is more important for Canadians right now than standing firm for our sovereignty and independence as a nation," the prime minister said about the meeting.
Charles III has been playing an important diplomatic card since Donald Trump's return to the White House. Last Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered a letter from the king to the U.S. president inviting him to make a second State visit to the United Kingdom. The proposal is part of London's formidable diplomatic offensive to win Trump's favor. He, who is very sensitive to any displays of deference towards him, proudly showed the document to journalists covering Starmer's visit in the Oval Office.
In the letter, Charles suggested a preparatory meeting in Scotland, where Trump has a golf course. It is precisely in Scotland, judging by those who know him well, where Trump's hatred for wind energy was born, as despite all his efforts in the courts, he has not been able to prevent the construction of a windmill park in front of his property, which, in his opinion, ruins its views.
Canada lacks the British monarchy assets that would be very useful to try to stem the unprecedented deterioration of the bilateral relationship with the U.S. Trump refers to Trudeau as a "governor" and has posted images showing him with the Canadian flag, in a mountainous landscape supposedly referring to that country and its imminent conquest by the White House resident. Curiously, in those images, the most visible mountain is none other than the Matterhorn in the Alps, marking the border between Italy and Switzerland. With such solid geographical knowledge, Trudeau and Charles III may have even had time to share a laugh at Sandringham House.