As the old British wartime saying goes, “Keep calm and carry on.” This seems to be exactly what Prince William is doing with regards to Donald Trump now that the divisive president reclaimed the White House — despite their past clashes. With William in line for the throne sometime in the next few decades, the Prince of Wales is looking to prove himself worthy of a kingly title and to show his capacity for forging international relationships for the betterment of the United Kingdom.

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That being said, William’s notably more cozy relationship with Trump is something of a surprise in many ways, considering their past public feuding. Back in 2012, Trump drew William’s ire with a post on Twitter, amid a scandal surrounding the tabloid publication of paparazzi photos of William’s wife, Kate Middleton, sunbathing topless. Trump tweeted at the time, “Kate Middleton is great — but she shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude — only herself to blame.” This, and his following thoughtless posts about William’s wife, sparked harsh disdain from the prince. Now, it seems, William finds himself having to navigate the murky waters of political courtship to maintain the so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the US.

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In December 2024, after his election day victory but before returning to power, Donald Trump headed to France for the grand gala rededication of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Amid this excursion, Trump met with Prince William, where Trump’s body language apparently revealed his need to show his authority and importance around other world leaders. The List spoke with body language expert Traci Brown in December, who explained that Trump’s abrasive handshaking implies, “Once again, [he] has to be the biggest, most important guy in the room.”

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Interestingly, the meeting also proved to everyone that he’s been lying about his height — which isn’t something anyone was particularly surprised by. Trump has long claimed that he is 6-feet, 3-inches tall. However, standing next to Prince William, who actually is that height, it was immediately clear that Trump is, in no way, close to William’s height. This could be why Trump fell back so hard on his attempt at aggressive handshaking.

That being said, Trump was effusive in his praise for William while speaking with reporters the following day — or, at least, in his praise for William’s handsomeness. “He looked really, very handsome last night. Some people look better in person. He looked great,” Trump told the New York Post. Trump said he and William spoke for around half an hour, although Kensington Palace declined to comment to the BBC about the content or nature of their chat.

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