Just over a week after revealing his mother was a big fan, President-elect Donald Trump may get his own audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
The British government says it is considering inviting Trump for a state visit in 2017 as Prime Minister Theresa May works to cement the “special relationship” between the two countries.
According to the London Times, the two leaders had a 10-minute telephone conversation after Trump’s election victory. He reportedly told May that his mother was a huge admirer of the Queen and that the UK was a “very special place for me and my country.”
A spokeswoman for May told reporters that “an invitation for a state visit is one of the things that is under consideration following the election of a new US president.” Such a visit would typically involve a meeting with the Queen.
Trump’s mother was born on the Scottish Isle of Lewis in 1912. She left for the United States in 1930 to work as a domestic servant.
Whether he will now receive the red carpet and golden carriage ride down the Mall remains to be confirmed, but the visit could lead some in the UK to soften their opposition to the President-elect.
A number of UK politicians, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, were outspoken about Trump in the weeks and months before the election.
He was labeled as a “demagogue,” “buffoon” and “wazzcock,” and some members of Parliament debated banning Trump from the UK for his stance on preventing Muslims from entering the US.
Trump’s main ally in the UK has been Nigel Farage, the acting leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party and the man behind the successful Brexit campaign.
The two men met on November 12 in New York, where Farage claimed that Trump’s “support for the US-UK relationship is very strong.”
Farage, who has been effusive in his praise of Trump, introduced him at a rally in Mississippi in August and later worked in the spin room as a surrogate after the second presidential debate in October.
Trump made frequent references to Brexit throughout the campaign, saying it demonstrated the wish for change among voters frustrated with establishment politics.
Many in the UK also hope Trump is more receptive about Brexit than current President Barack Obama.
Obama, spoke out against Britain leaving the European Union in April, warning that a post-Brexit UK would be at the “back of the queue” in any trade deal with the US.