15:45 GMT
Sean Coughlan
BBC News royal correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesPrince William has been scrambled, like in his
old air ambulance days, to rush to this meeting in Paris with President-elect
Donald Trump.
Although what’s in need of rescue on this
occasion is the well-being of the special relationship between the US and the
UK.
It’s an important connection for both sides –
and for wider military links such as Nato – but there’s not a lot of obvious
empathy between Starmer’s Labour government and the incoming MAGA Republicans.
So the royals, who are funded by taxpayers, are
being deployed to smooth the path, with Prince William taking on the statesman
role, meeting Trump before attending the re-opening of the Notre Dame
cathedral.
Trump is a royal fan, so that might make for a
more positive connection. Prince William last met Trump in 2019, during the
then president’s visit to the UK, where Trump spoke very enthusiastically about
his meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But there’s a massive contrast in their styles.
Prince William’s flagship project is his Earthshot environmental awards, while
Trump has dismissed efforts to boost green energy as a “scam”.
This week Prince William went to serve dinner at
the Passage homelessness charity and on Friday night he was helping with a
“kindness tree” outside Westminster Abbey.
A kindness tree and campaigning on housing and
climate-change aren’t exactly the MAGA style.
But the aim of this hurriedly-arranged meeting
will be for a royal charm offensive to help build bridges at an uncertain time
for western alliances.