Britain's Labour government hopes to stay in US President Donald Trump's good books by mobilising the royal family and a former spin doctor dubbed the "Prince of Darkness".

Trump's affection for his mother's ancestral home, Scotland, where he owns two golf resorts, and a mooted second state visit to the UK could also help maintain good relations, observers say.

"He's liable to be buttered up, right? So anything you can throw at him (will help)," Steven Fielding, a politics professor at the University of Nottingham, told AFP.

From the Russia-Ukraine war and possible trade tariffs to differences over climate change and China, the US-UK "special relationship" looks set for a rollercoaster ride over the next four years.

Trump's unpredictable nature threatens to derail UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's overarching ambition for his premiership -- to fire up Britain's anaemic post-Brexit, post-Covid economy.

Added to the mix are unflattering comments about Trump made by senior Labour figures in the past, and recent verbal attacks on Starmer by Trump ally Elon Musk, the world's richest man.

Now a British charm offensive is under way, highlighted by Buckingham........

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