Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid strained relations with the United Kingdom, US President Donald Trump on Monday ‘welcomed’ King Charles III at the White House, assuring London that its monarch will be “very safe” in America—just two days after Trump himself escaped the third assassination attempt!
The long-planned event marks the 250th anniversary of US’s independence from Britain, although its diplomatic mission has taken on new urgency amid Trump’s recent feud with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer—indeed, with Europe itself.
King Charles III’s US visit is seen as fraught with doubt about the future of Britain’s so-called “special relationship” with America and fresh security concerns in the wake of the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner on April 25.
The British monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, were greeted by the US President and First Lady Melania Trump at the start of a four-day trip, his first state visit to the US since becoming the King in 2022.
The UK decided to go ahead with the visit despite Saturday’s shooting at the hotel that hosted the annual press gala. Trump said on Sunday that the king would be “very safe” during a program that includes a military review at the White House and a speech to a joint session of US Congress.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway,” Buckingham Palace said on Sunday.
It’s the first state visit by a British monarch since Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made the trip in 2007. She had also addressed US Congress in 1991.
The monarch’s visit comes at a fraught time for UK-US relations, which are perhaps at their lowest point since the Suez Crisis in the 1950s. While Trump has only heaped praise on Charles, he’s repeatedly criticized Starmer, dismissing the UK’s elected PM as weak and unreliable.
US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Monday that while the relationship remains special, “toxic Republican policies for the last 15 months or so are eroding” it. “Hopefully the King’s visit is going to go a long way toward repairing the damage that this administration has done to one of our most important allies,” he said.
After two days in Washington, the royal couple will travel to New York to commemorate the September 11, 2001 Muslim terrorist attacks, visit a community organization mentoring children affected by food insecurity and attend an event with senior business leaders.
The UK’s ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said the royals’ visit would be about “renewing and revitalising a unique friendship” between the two countries.
He said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to Trump on Sunday, and the trip would proceed largely as expected.
The King and Queen privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the April 25 attack, during which a Secret Service agent was slightly injured and the President and his wife were rushed to safety.
Charm offensive
Amid the USA’s deteriorating relations with Europe, it will be a charm offensive by the UK, attending ceremonial events in Washington and making a symbolic show of solidarity at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.
For Trump, it will also be a chance to be seen on the world stage next to royalty and might be a welcome diversion from his own multiple political battles at home and overseas.
He told the BBC that he thought the royal visit could help repair relations with the UK, saying: “Absolutely, the answer is yes.”
Sir Christian said the royal visit would emphasise the “shared history, shared sacrifice and common values” of the two countries and would show that the partnership meant both peoples were “safer, richer and happier.”
Trump has criticised Starmer over not supporting the US in its current conflict with Iran; there have been other disagreements too between the two allies.
The state visit, which will include events in Washington DC, New York and Virginia, will show that the “partnership ranges well beyond the government of the day,” said the ambassador.
During this visit, on behalf of the British government, Sir Christian identified three strategic priorities – investment, military co-operation and encouraging “people to people” connections, including tourism and education.
But the trip has faced some criticism, including from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who wanted it cancelled, describing the US President as “unreliable.”
The diplomatic centrepiece of this visit will be the King’s speech to the US Congress on Tuesday, in which he will have to achieve a balancing act between asserting the UK government’s positions and also maintaining friendly relations with Trump.
The US President will make his own remarks at a state dinner at the White House.
Trump has remained an enthusiastic fan of the monarchy. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he praised King Charles III, saying: “He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative.”
The UK government will be hoping that some of that warmth will translate to the political relationship.
But Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said she remained “anxious” about the potential diplomatic implications of the visit.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is a really high-wire act and the President is so unpredictable, you just don’t know what he’s going to say.”
Speaking to Times Radio last week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage rejected the suggestion Trump could embarrass the King, saying the President “Just won’t do that,” and that he has an “extraordinary respect” for the royals.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has also backed the visit, while other opposition parties have been critical of it.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski told BBC 5 Live Breakfast that he “feels sorry” for the King ahead of the trip, and that the UK should seek to improve relations with the US by “taking a sterner line, not by sending a monarch to be paraded.”