EXCLUSIVE: Radar Reveals How Queen Elizabeth Confided to Barack Obama Her Hatred of Donald Trump's Presidency — And Revealed Huge Political Upheaval That Left Her Devastated
Queen Elizabeth told Barack Obama she hated Donald Trump’s presidency.
May 12 2026, Published 7:12 p.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth told Barack Obama she was deeply troubled by the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency and the political turmoil unleashed by Brexit, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
That's according to revelations in a new book examining the monarch's relationships with US presidents.
Queen Elizabeth II Privately Slammed Brexit During Obama Meeting
Queen Elizabeth voiced deep concerns regarding Donald Trump and Brexit.
The late Queen, who died in 2022 aged 96 after a record 70-year reign, voiced her concerns over Trump and Brexit during a private lunch with Barack Obama at Windsor Castle in April 2016 – just months before Britain voted to leave the European Union.
The claims appear in The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History by American journalist Susan Page, who interviewed multiple world leaders about the monarch's private diplomacy and political instincts.
Obama, reflecting on the conversation in Page's book, said the Queen did not believe a decision as significant as Brexit 'should have been decided by plebiscite'.
Page wrote the exchange amounted to a "very rare royal critique of a prime minister, in public or private."
Brexit Deeply Worried The Queen
The Queen questioned the wisdom of the Prime Minister’s referendum.
Describing the late monarch's concerns, Obama said: "She said, effectively, 'It's hard to understand why a prime minister, who presumably understands politics, would put a public referendum forward that he didn't know what the answer would be of such importance.'"
A royal insider familiar with the period claimed the Brexit referendum caused enormous anxiety behind palace walls because the Queen viewed constitutional stability as one of the monarchy's most important responsibilities.
The source said: "Elizabeth believed the referendum opened the door to uncertainty and division on a scale Britain had not experienced for decades. She understood how emotionally charged the issue had become and was deeply uneasy about the risks attached to putting such a historic constitutional question directly to the public."
Another source claimed the monarch felt frustrated by the increasingly chaotic political climate surrounding Brexit but remained bound by constitutional neutrality.
The insider added: "The Queen was in an impossible position because she could never publicly intervene, no matter how concerned she felt privately. People around her could see she regarded the situation as deeply destabilizing and feared the long-term damage it could do to national unity."
Donald Trump Also Left Queen Perplexed
The monarch asked about the rise of Donald Trump in American politics.
Page also described the unusually warm relationship between Elizabeth and Obama, suggesting the closeness between the two leaders may explain why the Queen felt comfortable expressing candid opinions during their private conversations.
In the book, Page wrote: "Her view on whether to leave the European Union was the subject of endless speculation during her reign and after her death."
She added: "In fact, at the fiercest time of the furore, she had expressed her real views to Obama."
The book also claims the Queen was perplexed by the rise of Donald Trump, 79, during the 2016 US presidential election.
According to Page, Elizabeth discussed Trump with Obama during the same Windsor Castle visit, months before Trump secured the Republican nomination.
The Queen is said to have asked Obama: "Why is this person so close to running your country?"
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The book explored the Queen’s reaction to criticism from the Sussexes.
Page interviewed four US presidents and three British prime ministers while researching the book, tracing Elizabeth's interactions with 13 American presidents from Harry S Truman through to Trump.
The book also reportedly explores the Queen's reaction to criticism from Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan Markle, 44, as well as her views on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the grief she experienced following the death of Prince Philip in 2021.
