Britain’s King Charles III met Donald Trump at the White House early Tuesday, kicking off a high-stakes state visit shadowed by transatlantic tensions and a new alleged attempt to assassinate the US president.
Behind the warm welcome for Charles and Queen Camilla in front of the cameras lay a deepening rift in the so-called “special relationship” between Washington and London over Trump’s war in Iran.
With such tensions simmering, Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, when he will tell US lawmakers that the long history between the two countries is one of “reconciliation and renewal,” according to a released excerpt from the king’s speech.
In mild Washington sunshine, Charles and Trump exchanged handshakes and apparently friendly remarks, which reporters were unable to hear, outside the White House South Portico.
First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a primrose yellow suit, gave Charles and Camilla kisses on both cheeks. Camilla was wearing a Cartier brooch with the British and US flags in platinum set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds.
Trump — whose fascination with the British royal family is a point of leverage for UK diplomats — and his wife hosted the royal couple for tea and later gave them a tour of the beehive on the White House’s carefully manicured South Lawn.
Afterward, the royals made their way to a garden party with hundreds of guests at the British ambassador’s residence, including Britain’s Olympic diving champion Tom Daley, US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and other political dignitaries.
The four-day visit had been meant to celebrate the historic ties between the two close allies for the 250th anniversary of US independence from the British monarch’s ancestor, George III.
‘No Churchill’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday the visit would “honor the long-standing and special relationship.” But it has ended up with Charles, 77, having to wage a diplomatic charm offensive after 79-year-old Trump bitterly criticised London’s refusal to help Washington with the Iran conflict.
The royal trip is also going ahead despite a shooting Saturday at the glitzy White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by Trump. A suspect charged with trying to assassinate the president was arraigned in court on Monday.
As a result, an already meticulously choreographed visit with limited media engagements to avoid unscripted moments is now being 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 Charles and Camilla in the Oval Office and hold a state dinner. Charles will also become the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late queen Elizabeth II, in 1991.
The royals will visit New York on Wednesday, touring the 9/11 memorial, before departing Thursday for Bermuda for Charles’s first visit to a British overseas territory as monarch.
But as Trump’s war with Iran drives a rare wedge between London and Washington, the visit has generated considerable controversy.
He has repeatedly lambasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his war opposition, alongside his government’s immigration and energy policies.
The US president has branded Starmer “no Churchill” — referring to wartime premier Winston Churchill, who coined the “special relationship” phrase.
Starmer has publicly criticised the war, but defended the state visit. An early April YouGov poll found 48 percent of Britons support cancelling it.
‘Elephant in the room’
Trump has said the king’s visit could help repair transatlantic relations.
“He represents his nation like nobody else can do it,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
The US visit also represents a personal test for Charles, who has been battling cancer in recent years.
But the king showcased his diplomatic skills during Trump’s state visit to Britain last September, with Royal Holloway University of London monarchy expert Craig Prescott noting he is “generally very good” at navigating such occasions.
Prescott added that Charles would likely address the war — the “very big elephant in the room” —in a coded way in his speech to Congress.
Meanwhile, the scandal around late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein threatens to encroach on the highly choreographed tour.
Charles has faced a major crisis over the friendship his brother, the former prince Andrew, had with the billionaire, who died in prison in 2019.
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