Donald Trump wants to be embraced by the Royal Family as he sees it as the ‘ultimate acceptance’, according to a former US national security adviser.

Ben Rhodes, who worked for Barack Obama and helped organise the former President’s UK state visit, attributed Mr Trump’s desire for royal approval to his rejection by the ‘elite’ in the US.

Mr Rhodes told The Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast: “What [Donald Trump] mainly cares about is being the centre of attention.

“I grew up in New York City with Trump in the background as this joke, this punchline.

“I think a lot of his life has been wanted to be accepted by the elites. He was this guy, unpolished, and he resented the people who thought they were fancier than him. That's why he built the gold buildings and gaudy clubs.”

Being accepted by the Queen, Rhodes argues, would mean that Trump has finally made it into the world he always tried to be a part of.

“I think the Queen of England and the British Royal Family - that's the ultimate acceptance,” Rhodes added.

“If you can get accepted and welcomed by the Queen, it doesn't get any bigger than that. That's the inner sanctum of the global elite.

“Event though there are a lot of risks in this for Trump - that he'll say something stupid or there will be protests - I still think he's motivated by this sense of, ‘I want to show everybody that here I am, President of the United States, sitting next to the Queen of England’.”

Donald Trump and his wife Melania will be greeted by the Queen when they arrive in London for their state visit on Monday.

Their itinerary includes a Ceremonial Welcome and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace with a number of senior royals.

On Tuesday Mr Trump will hold talks with Theresa May and a number of British business figures.

Earlier this month a Government official revealed the President is only concerned with the royal elements of his trip.

The source told The Times Mr Trump is ‘delightfully oblivious’ to the current political turmoil in the UK.

He told the press in the US that he ‘may’ hold meetings with Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage in what would be a marked break in convention.

The President described the two men as ‘two very good guys’ and ‘very interesting people’.