Published 09:54 IST, June 5th 2019
Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Theresa May convey subtle messages to President Donald Trump on need to keep international institutions intact
Queen Elizabeth II has used her banquet speech to subtly remind visiting US President Donald Trump that the international institutions set up after the World War II were designed to ensure the horrors of conflict were not repeated, the British media reported June 4.
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Queen Elizabeth II has used her banquet speech to subtly remind visiting US President Donald Trump that the international institutions set up after the World War II were designed to ensure the horrors of conflict were not repeated, the British media reported June 4.
Prime Minister Theresa May too presented Trump with a framed copy of the Atlantic Charter, a set of principles centred on freedom and cooperation agreed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 that formed the basis of many post-war institutions.
Both have been seen as a thinly-veiled message to a president who has repeatedly shown his disdain for multilateral organisations such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), reported.
The 93-year-old British monarch, in her banquet speech at the Buckingham Palace, noted that the original purpose of the institutions established after the Second World War was to make sure that the world was a safer place.
"As we face the new challenges of the 21st Century, the anniversary of D-Day reminds us of all that our countries have achieved together. After the shared sacrifices of the Second World War, Britain and the United States worked with other allies to build an assembly of international institutions, to ensure that the horrors of conflict would never be repeated. "While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard won peace," she said.
"Mr President, as we look to the future, I am confident that our common values and shared interests will continue to unite us. Tonight we celebrate an alliance that has helped to ensure the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades, and which I believe will endure for many years to come," she said before offering a toast to President Trump and his wife Melania.
President Trump's visit coincides with the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which the Queen, Trump and other heads of state will attend at Portsmouth on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, protesters have gathered in central London to voice their opposition to President Trump's visit.
Demonstrations are also planned in Birmingham, Stoke, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Chester, Leicester, Oxford and Exeter.
Police said more than 3,000 officers have been deployed for the president's visit.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn - who boycotted the state dinner - will be joined at the rally by members of other political parties including the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.
Corbyn tweeted that the protest was "an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those [Mr Trump has] attacked in America, around the world and in our own country" including London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan defended his party leader Corbyn's decision to boycott the state dinner at the palace.
Khan said he felt he and Corbyn shared the view that a "close relationship" with the US president was important.
But the Pakistani-origin British politician added: "What shouldn't happen is a state banquet and a state visit with the red carpet rolled out.
"I think it's inappropriate. I think those visits should be reserved for leaders who have done something and deserve that. I think it sends the wrong message to be seen to condone some of the things this president has said and done," the London mayor said.
09:54 IST, June 5th 2019