The King and Queen Camilla arrive in the United States this Monday to try to “cover the wound” in the relationship between London and Washington.
King Charles III arrives in the United States this Monday for a four-day state visit and which assumes unusual diplomatic importance.
Officially, the trip marks the 250 years of American independenceproclaimed during the reign of George III, direct ancestor of the current British monarch. But in practice, the trip is the perfect opportunity, in London’s eyes, to try to ease relations between the United Kingdom and Donald Trump’s government, which have been quite tense.
The “special relationship” between London and Washington is going through a particularly difficult phase. In September, during a banquet hosted by Carlos III during Trump’s second state visit to the United Kingdom, the American President described the two countries as “two notes in the same chord” and “two verses of the same poem”. But since then, the tone changedradically.
Trump criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for refusing to support the United States militarily in the war against Iran. He called him a “loser”, said he was “no Churchill” and compared him to Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister associated with the policy of appeasement towards Hitler. The North American President also said that the United Kingdom was no longer “the Rolls-Royce of the allies” and took the opportunity to devalue the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers — he reduced them to “toys”.
Asked recently about the status of the “special relationship”, Trump responded: “Not good, not good at all.”
Charles III now emerges as a centerpiece in British diplomacy. According to the British press, the British Government hopes that its presence, experience and ability to establish personal relationships can help reduce tensions.
Charles and Queen Camilla will have several moments of contact with Donald and Melania Trump in Washington, including a private meeting at the White House, a military ceremony with a 21-gun salute, a state dinner and a visit to a new hive installed in the presidential residence by the first lady.
The visit will end with a speech of Charles III before a joint session of Congress, something that is rare, note: it will be only the second time that a British monarch will formally address both houses of the North American legislature. According to British sources cited by CNN, the speech should be aimed mainly at the North American people and the shared history between the two countries; it will not be a tribute to any particular President.
The trip remained on track despite a security incident that occurred on Saturday night, when someone tried to enter a dinner for journalists in Washington where Trump, his wife and other guests were present. Buckingham Palace indicated that Charles III was “very relieved” that no one was injured and that the king and queen contacted the American President in private. After talks between London and Washington, and under government advice, the palace confirmed that the visit would go ahead as planned, albeit with small operational adjustments.
For Starmer’s Government, Charles III became a kind of diplomatic trump cardsomething that is not the case today. Last year, during a visit to the White House, Starmer quickly presented Trump with a letter from the king inviting him to a state visit to Windsor. The British strategy involves exploiting the well-known and ancient Trump’s admiration for the monarchy. Trump wrote in The Art of the Deal that his sense of spectacle was influenced by the coronation of Elizabeth II, which he marveled at on television as a child. And he also frequently talks about his affection for Scotland, his mother’s homeland, where there are also two golf courses.
But a lot separates Trump from Carlos III. The current king was for decades one of the best-known voices in defense of the environment and climate action, while Trump promotes a contrary, energy agenda, largely based on the exploitation of fossil fuels. Carlos is in favor of wind energy; Trump despises wind farms. During Trump’s first term, according to former White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, the US president described a conversation with then-Prince Charles as “terrible”as he spoke almost exclusively about climate change.
The British press remembers that London and Washington have diverged throughout history — from Vietnam to the Suez crisis — but ended up reuniting at decisive moments, such as the world wars, the Cold War and the creation of the United Nations. The British message is that the relationship does not always need to be harmonious to remain structural.
The agenda for this official visit was carefully designed to go beyond the White House and Trump. Carlos and Camila will participate in a garden party with representatives from different sectors of North American society and will pay tribute to those who died in the service of the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies. In New York, they will visit the 9/11 memorial, meet first responders, participate in a community initiative in Harlem and an event dedicated to literacy. In Virginia, a state governed by Democrats, they will meet with indigenous communities to discuss environmental conservation and land rights. And they will also participate in a neighborhood party linked to the celebrations of 250 years of independence.
Carlos and Camila are also expected to meet with organizations that support survivors of domestic violence — but no direct reference to the scandal surrounding , the king’s brother, related to .
The White House event will be in tails, the highest level of evening formality.
For Trump, the visit offers the kind of ceremony and grandeur he likes. For Carlos III, it is an opportunity he cannot miss. Asked by the BBC whether the presence of the king and queen could improve relations between the two countries, Trump responded unequivocally: “Absolutely, the answer is yes.”
