(Alliance News) – The UK’s King Charles III met with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, kicking off a state visit fueled by heightened tensions and allegations of an assassination attempt against the US president.
Behind Charles and Queen Camilla’s warm welcome in front of the cameras lie deep tensions over the so-called “special relationship” between Washington and London over Trump’s war on Iran.
In Washington’s warm interior, Charles and Trump shook hands with seemingly friendly voices outside the White House South Portico that reporters could not hear.
First lady Melania Trump, wearing a primrose yellow suit, kissed Charles and Camilla on both cheeks. Camilla wore a Cartier brooch with British and American flags in platinum set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds.
Trump – whose admiration for the British royal family is a key point for helping UK diplomats – then led Charles inside, briefly touching his arm.
The Trumps treated the royal couple to tea and later they will visit the beehives on the carefully manicured lawn of the White House, which Melania Trump recently renovated.
The four-day trip was intended to celebrate the historic relationship between the two close allies on the 250th anniversary of the US’s independence from the great-grandfather of Britain’s King George III.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said Monday the visit “will honor a long and special relationship.”
But it ended with Charles, 77, making a provocative move after Trump, 79, sharply criticized London’s refusal to help Washington on the Iran conflict.
The royal tour is also continuing despite the shooting at the Correspondent’s dinner at the White House attended by Trump on Saturday. The suspect accused of trying to kill the president was brought before the court on Monday.
As a result, visits that are already carefully planned with limited media contact to avoid unscripted sessions are now held under even tighter security than before.
The royals arrived earlier at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, where they were greeted on the red carpet by children carrying bouquets.
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 leaving on Thursday for Bermuda for their first visit to a British overseas territory as a monarch.
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 term “special relationship”.
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 represented his nation like no one else could,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
The American tour also represents a personal test for Charles, who has been battling cancer in recent years.
But the king demonstrated his interpersonal skills during Trump’s visit to Britain last September, with Royal Holloway University of London expert Craig Prescott noting that he is “very good” at navigating such events.
Prescott added that Charles is likely to talk about the war – “the biggest elephant in the room” – in a coded way in his speech to 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.
Written by Danny Kemp
source: AFP
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