I kept waiting to see what photo-ops Donald Trump would get with the British royal family, and whether there would be any kind of “money shot” of Trump with the younger royals, Harry, Meghan, Kate and/or William. Meghan clearly begged off because of her maternity leave, which we knew ahead of time. Harry found a way to have lunch with the Trumps but not be photographed side-by-side with Bigly, and Harry merely lurked in the back of the Royal Collection photo-op. Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seem to have entirely avoided the photo-op. They were briefly in the same frame (much like Harry), but in the background of the state banquet shots. This is notable, says Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast. While Harry got criticized for largely blanking on the Trumps, Sykes argues that it’s even more notable that Will & Kate seemed to completely avoid any photo-ops:

Trump, however, has been left unable to complain and demand a photo call with Harry or William, because he has been given several moments with the queen and Prince Charles, who significantly outrank Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne, and therefore not obligated to take part in state occasions. Trump’s cold-shouldering by William and Kate is arguably a more provocative move on the part of the young royals. As second in line to the throne, it could be argued that William and his wife do have a responsibility to greet Trump one-on-one in front of the cameras, but so far they have studiously avoided doing so.

At the state banquet, they were both seated several places away from Trump, in what was clearly a deliberate (and successful) attempt to restrict the president’s ability to harness the popularity of the young royals. Harry was never scheduled to attend the state banquet, but his absence was still (correctly) interpreted as a snub to Trump. It was also noticeable that when Trump visited Westminster Abbey on Monday to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, he was not accompanied by William, as might have been expected, but by Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son. Andrew’s name-recognition in the wider U.S. is minimal, meaning the trip will have little PR value for the 2020 campaign. Instead, Trump will have to be content with images of him greeting the queen and Prince Charles.

And yet, President Trump has made it clear to those close to him that he actually does care about his reputation among the British royals. According to several former and current White House officials, Trump will grow visibly more animated or excited when the topic of meeting prominent members of royal families comes up, including the British royals. He makes a point of repeatedly asking aides about what he and others should wear during state visits and high-profile events with foreign countries’ royalty, the sources said, and enthusiastically asks advisers about what kind of pomp and pageantry he should expect.

“He is sensitive about the perceptions that he offended… the Queen,” a former White House official said, referencing a moment last year when the U.S. president appeared to briefly and awkwardly walk in front of the then 92-year-old Queen Elizabeth II. “He also really just wants the [British] royal family to like him.” Two people close to the president said that on multiple occasions he’s complained privately about a media narrative that he believes portrays the British royal family as hating Trump and not wanting to spend time with him while he’s in town. “The president thinks that it’s ‘fake news’ trying to make it look like they don’t like him personally, when really [he feels that] they do love Trump,” one of these sources said.

Further, a Whitehall official told The Times that the queen’s meeting last year with President Trump was “kept to the bare minimum. The Queen will do her duty, but among the wider family, they were not as enthusiastic as they were when [President Barack] Obama came over.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Yep. Here’s the thing: I never want to hear any more faux pearl-clutching about how g–damn “political” Meghan is and how she’s “breaking protocol” because she expresses a mild opinion about this social issue or that economic issue or whatever. Because what this state visit has shown is that ALL of the royals are political animals and they all make their own choices about where and when to be “political.” Will and Kate’s absence from nearly all of the Trump-visit activities WAS a political statement, especially given their eagerness to hang out (repeatedly) with the Obamas. And I don’t blame them at all, to be clear. I actually think they were very clever to largely avoid all the Trump shenanigans. But let’s remember this when the Daily Mail does a blaring ALL-CAPS headline about Meghan being “too political” when she, like, talks about microfinancing or eats an avocado.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.