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When Prince Charles visited the United States in 1981, New York<\/em> magazine reported that \u201caides\u201d to the royal family met with Donald Trump to discuss the purchase of a $5 million apartment in his new building, Trump Tower. A palace spokesperson briskly shot down the report, calling it \u201ccompletely untrue.\u201d No matter. Stories suggesting royal interest in Trump\u2019s properties cropped up frequently during the 1980s and 1990s, generating a lot of publicity for the young developer and his new skyscraper in Manhattan\u2014even as the palace denied them every time.<\/p>\n When Trump was asked about the reports, he couldn\u2019t help but revel in the implication. A decade after the New York<\/em> magazine story, the celebrity.land<\/em> published another \u201crumor\u201d\u2014one it confessed was \u201cmaybe started by the Trump Organization\u201d\u2014that Princess Diana was looking to buy an apartment in Trump Tower.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d Trump said when asked about the story in an interview. He then mused about dating the princess. \u201cShe is really hot. She has gained 20-25 pounds, she looks great. There could be a love interest. I\u2019d become King of England. King of England.\u201d<\/p>\n Diana never bought an apartment in Trump Tower, and despite his reported efforts behind the scenes to lure her to one of his parties, Trump never became King of England.<\/p>\n He did become president, and his infatuation with the royals has revived their relevance in global diplomacy. This week, in close coordination with 10 Downing Street, King Charles III visited Trump in Washington for several days of pageantry that included a tour of a White House beehive, an address before Congress, and a state dinner during which gifts were exchanged and jokes cracked about the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain.<\/p>\n There are hopes that the visit will soothe tensions between the two countries. Given Trump\u2019s infatuation with the crown and personal admiration for the current king, the old empire might have a fighting chance. Even after Charles delivered an address to Congress that implicitly refuted some core tenets of Trumpism\u2014there was an ode to limits on executive power, a defense of NATO and Ukraine, a rousing call to protect the natural world\u2014Trump raved about it ahead of the state dinner that night. \u201cHe made a great speech,\u201d the president said. \u201cI was very jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n