No room for Trump at Buckingham Palace during UK visit
Donald Trump and his wife Melania will not be able to stay at Buckingham Palace – because building work is being carried out, Daily Mail reports.
Sources said the monarch would not host her visitors overnight as the East Wing has been closed, meaning there is no room to house his substantial retinue.
It is an unusual move for such a prestigious official visit, but aides insisted there was no snub intended. They said the work began last autumn – long before the idea of a state visit began to take shape.
The Palace is undergoing a massive ten-year, £365million programme of renovations after some areas of the crumbling building were deemed a major health and safety hazard.
Much of the wiring dates back to before the Queen's coronation. Senior members of the Royal Family have already had to move out of private quarters, including Princess Anne.
Even the Queen may be forced to leave her official London home for a time in the future.
A Palace statement said further details of the visit would be announced in due course. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle enjoyed the Queen's hospitality when they made a state visit in 2011.
Sources said the Trumps would have been expected to stay in the historic Belgian Suite, to the rear of the Palace, which is still operational.
But none of their aides or staff could be accommodated due to the East Wing closure.