Queen Elizabeth II gifted President Trump with an abridged first-edition of Winston Churchill’s book on World War II Monday during Trump’s three-day state visit to England.
The queen welcomed the president and the first lady at Buckingham Palace with a lavish state banquet as a celebration of the two countries long-standing alliance. It is tradition for the queen to gift heads of state during official visits.
Though President Trump has expressed that he does not have much time to read, he is known to be an avid admirer of Churchill. Within hours of being sworn into presidency, Trump moved a bust of Churchill back into the White House Oval Office.
The bust had been loaned to George W. Bush for the duration of his term as a personal gift by then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. It had since been replaced by a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. under Obama’s presidency.
The abridged version of the historical book, titled The Second World War and penned by the late prime minister, was published in 1959.
The original six-volume history contains 5000 pages illustrated by maps and plans; It is considered an expansive and invaluable recount of the war, pulled from Churchill’s notes, correspondence, and retrospection.
As a statesman, orator, and prolific writer, Churchill went on to earn the Nobel Prize in literature in 1953 for his “mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”
Though Churchill hoped to win the Peace Prize, he was and continues to be lauded as a masterful wordsmith.
According to CNN, the queen gifted the first lady a “specially commissioned silver box” with a “handcrafted enamel lid” patterned in the image of the ceiling of Buckingham Palace’s music room with rose, thistle, and shamrock details.
In exchange, the president and the first lady gifted the queen a Tiffany & Co. silver and silk poppy brooch in a custom White House wooden jewelry box. Prince Philip received a personalized Air Force One jacket along with a signed first edition autobiography of James Doolittle titled, “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.”
Doolittle was the US military commander and general who steered the first air operation to strike the Japanese Home Islands after Pearl Harbor. The bombing served as both a retaliation and demonstration of the mainland being vulnerable to American air attack.
Shortly before his arrival, Trump has stirred up controversy by making impolitic remarks and openly criticizing London Mayor Sadiq Khan. In light of the events, citizens are mobilizing protests and demonstrations.
Nonetheless, President Trump shared kind words for the Queen during the state banquet. In turn, she welcomed the pair’s visit at the dinner.
“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,” the Queen stated.