At the time, the Queen was not aware of the monster Idi Amin would become as he had just come into power in Uganda.
It was not until later in 1977 when it was feared that Amin would attempt to travel to join the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, documents show Britain “drew up elaborate contingency plans, involving the anti-terrorist squad and police marksmen, to detain Amin on his arrival in the UK and to eject him from the country”.
By then, the atrocities committed by Amin would be fully known. During his reign of terror, 500,000 were put to death on his orders, and there were also claims of cannibalism committed by the Ugandan dictator.
Despite Amin not making an appearance, the Queen remained concerned about the possibility he would try to attend the Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 7.
Lord Mountbatten said he asked the Queen why she “looked rather cross and worried”. He wrote: “She laughed and said, ‘I was just thinking how awful it would be if Amin were to gatecrash the party and arrive after all’.
“I asked her what she had proposed to do and she said she had decided she would use the City’s Pearl Sword which the Lord Mayor had placed in front of her to hit him hard over the head with.”
To label someone like Trump as in the league of Idi Amin, is of course ridiculous, however our point here is to illustrate that the Queen has made state meetings with persons exhibiting dubious, despotic or totalitarian rule.
The Queen has met the Chinese, for example, whose human rights record is one of the worst in the world. For the Regent, this is an unfortunate matter that has to be tackled, and her majesty does so very well with tact and regal dignity.
Donald Trump has as much right as anyone for a state visit, and if we are to have continued special relations with the United States, it is imperative that we afford the correct hospitality to Donald J. Trump as any other president.
