Trump's Humiliating Breach Of Decorum With King Charles Proves He Never Learns His Lesson

In Donald Trump's world, the president has freedoms and privileges that few others enjoy. In the world of the royals, however, there are rules and protocols that everyone is expected to follow. Really, it should come as no surprise that when Trump finds himself in the presence of the royal family, he doesn't adjust his usual behavior too much, even if it defies expectations and age-old traditions. The POTUS certainly had that energy on his first state visit to the U.K. back in 2019, and he brought it back with him for his second state visit in September 2025.

Trump in the UK: walks ahead of King Charles, breaking tradition. Because of course he does. pic.twitter.com/A6PVSm3wdj

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 17, 2025

While abroad in 2019, Donald Trump appeared to blatantly break royal protocol with Queen Elizabeth II when he stepped in front of her when the pair was walking together. Many found this to be a disrespectful move on his part, given her position as the reigning monarch and host of his visit. Either no one made him aware of the fact that this wasn't well-received, or he has forgotten in the years since then, because he has angered the public once more by overtaking King Charles III on his latest visit. Folks were surprised to see Trump walking far ahead of Charles when the pair would have otherwise been walking side-by-side. This seems to be a rude thing to do when visiting someone, even if that someone isn't the king. Yet, a royal insider told Newsweek that Trump wasn't actually going against any royal protocol, as the visitor is traditionally meant to go first.

Ultimately, Donald Trump seemingly didn't actually break the rules when he walked ahead of King Charles III, but the move earned backlash online, either way. "Trump in the UK: walks ahead of King Charles, breaking tradition. Because of course he does," one X user wrote, raking in over 10,000 likes within hours. Another said, "Oh god..he's walking [in front] of the King, like Charles doesn't even exist or matter!" One commenter responded, "As the saying goes, you can't buy class." 

Ahead of the controversial president's state visit, rumor had it that Charles planned to stroke Trump's ego and play right into his extravagant tastes during the trip. So far, it seems that the royals have been doing just that: pulling out all the stops and leaning into the pomp and circumstance of the royal world to appease Trump. As history professor Anna Whitelock told the BBC, "Trump loves the monarchy and the Royal Family. It's a potential diplomatic ace card for the UK government." So, perhaps it's in the royal family's best interest to let Trump break any royal protocol, unleash flirty behavior on Catherine, Princess of Wales, and walk wherever he wants at whatever pace he wants if it means letting him feel like a king for a day — in the name of diplomacy, of course.