UK King Charles wants to strengthen relations with Trump during the state visit

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(Alliance News) – King Charles III arrives in Washington on Monday for a high-profile state visit aimed at salvaging Britain’s fragile relationship with Donald Trump, amid heightened security following an attack on a dinner attended by the US president.

Tensions over the Iran war have shaken the so-called “special relationship” ahead of a trip intended to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s independence from Britain’s imperial ancestors.

Charles and Queen Camilla will now use their four-day visit – their first to the US since he becomes king in 2022 – to launch a charm offensive against Trump’s view of the monarchy.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said Monday the visit “will honor the special relationship that exists between the US and the UK.”

Trump and his wife Melania will greet members of the British royal family at the White House on Monday before welcoming them for tea and a tour of the new beehive installed by the First Lady.

On Tuesday, the Trumps will meet with Charles and Camilla in the Oval Office and host a state dinner. Charles will also be the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991.

The royal family will travel to New York on Wednesday, visiting the 9/11 memorial, before departing on Thursday for Bermuda for their first visit to a British overseas territory as monarchs.

Buckingham Palace said the US visit will take place despite the shooting of the White House Correspondents Dinner attended by Trump in Washington on Saturday.

Charles is “very relieved” that Trump and other guests were not injured, the palace said.

Christian Turner, the British ambassador to the US, told a press conference in Washington late Sunday that after long discussions, “we are all very confident that all the security measures are in place” for the state visit.

But with the US leader’s war with Iran creating a rare rift between London and Washington, the visit has sparked controversy.

Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his opposition to war, as well as his government’s immigration and energy policies.

The US president called Starmer “no Churchill” – referring to wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, who coined the phrase “special relationship.”

The pair did however speak by phone on Sunday, with Labor leader Starmer offering his “best wishes” following the “shocking scenes” at last night’s event.

Starmer publicly criticized the war, but defended the state visit. An early April YouGov poll found 48% of Britons supported repealing it.

Trump said King Charles’ visit could help mend transatlantic relations.

“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time, so he’s coming, and we’re going to have a great time, and he represents his nation like no one else can,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.

The American tour represents a personal test for Charles, 77, who has battled cancer in recent years.

But the monarch demonstrated her diplomatic skills when Trump, 79, visited Britain in September last year, and Royal Holloway University of London expert Craig Prescott noted that she was “very good” at navigating such occasions.

Prescott added that Charles is likely to talk about the war – “the biggest elephant in the room” – in a coded manner in his speech on Tuesday to the US Congress.

Meanwhile, the scandal surrounding the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein threatens to derail a well-planned tour.

Charles has faced a lot of trouble because of his brother, former prince Andrew’s friendship with the late billionaire, who died in prison in 2019.

source: AFP

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