Almost seventy years have passed since the British king went to the United States in the hope of repairing relations damaged by the military crisis in the Middle East.
In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II entertained President Dwight D. Eisenhower after Britain joined France and Israel in trying to regain control of the Suez Canal in Egypt. Widely condemned, Britain’s actions created a domestic political crisis and reinforced the country’s status as a second-class power.
Now, it is his son’s turn to speak to the king, this time the tables have turned.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Washington on Monday afternoon during week 8 of President Trump’s war with Iran. Meanwhile, Britain’s refusal to take part in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as the United States’ latest war of choice has angered Mr.
According to the law, the king’s four-day visit has nothing to do with that dispute. Government officials say the King is above day-to-day politics and has no role in policy or comment on state affairs.
However, there is hope among people inside and outside No. 10 Downing Street that the pomp and ceremony, as well as other meetings with ordinary people, may remind Mr.
Even Mr Trump, who has spent the past few months calling Mr Starmer a coward and undermining the strength of Britain’s navy, seems ready to turn the temperature down, at least while playing the royal family. Asked by the BBC if the king’s visit would help to do that, the president said: “Of course. He’s very nice. He’s a nice man. The answer is yes.”
The ceremonial part of the trip will begin as soon as the king and queen land amid heightened security after Saturday night’s shooting at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, where Mr.
The royal couple will be greeted with a red carpet ceremony and garden party – with tea, of course – hosted by the British Embassy. On Tuesday, the king will meet face-to-face with the president in the Oval Office.
That would be part of the trip with high political risk. Photographers were scheduled to film the two men, sitting side-by-side, but British transport officials said there were no plans to ask questions in the Oval – the usual format when prime ministers and other heads of government visit the White House.
But those are just the kinds of political games Mr. What Trump wants. Can the president decide to complain about Mr. Starmer with the king sitting next to him? And what, if anything, would Charles say in response?
That may not be an idle concern. This month, Mr. Trump told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper that he believed the king “wouldn’t have made a very different decision” about the Iran war than Mr. Starmer, added: “But he’s not doing that. Could the president try to get the king to express that disagreement?
The king may also be under pressure to respond to threats by the Trump administration to withdraw American support for British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Argentina that the South American country also claims. The Pentagon report suggested the possibility of withdrawing US support to Britain as a punishment for failing to participate in the attack on Iran.
Argentina considers British rule in the islands an act of colonialism. Downing Street noted last week that people living in the Falkland Islands had voted overwhelmingly for a British overseas territory.
The British media are looking for big news. Saturday’s Daily Mail headline said: “King Plane Into US Storm in Falklands.” The Independent wrote: “The King and Queen Go to America … What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” And the BBC added: “King’s ‘High’ Tour With Trump Will Be Toughest Test of His Reign.”
Ed Davey, leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats, is so concerned about the potential communications disaster that he has repeatedly urged Mr.
“I’m really afraid of what Trump might say or do when our king is forced to stand by his side,” Mr. Davey told Mr Starmer during a recent meeting in Parliament. “We cannot put His Majesty in that position.”
Mr. Starmer thanked Mr. Davey with his proposal, but he did not take it, he said “what the monarchy was able to do with the bonds they built is achieved in decades.”
“The purpose of the visit,” said Mr. Starmer, “to celebrate 250 years of relations between our country and the United States, that’s why the visit continues.”
There may be other times that may be dull. There will probably be toasts by the two men during the provincial banquet on Tuesday night. The large ballroom of Mr. Trump is still under construction, so the gallery will be in the very small State Dining Room.
As his mother did in 1991, King Charles is expected to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday afternoon. Aides said that Silo will refrain from the bad news of the day, instead focusing on the long history that unites the two countries.
They said Silo will highlight the times when America and Britain cooperated to advance science, innovation, economy and defense. And he will celebrate what he believes will be an ongoing partnership.
It is certain that the king will not talk about the gossip and scandals that have surrounded his family in the past few years. Charles has not fully reconciled with his son Harry, who now lives full time in California. The king’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was recently arrested by police on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor has not been charged and has pleaded not guilty, but revelations about her longtime friendship with Mr.
Last week, Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, asked the king to meet with Mr. Epstein’s victims during his visit. The lawyers of the king and queen said in a letter to Mr. Denied that due to “ongoing police inquiries” in Britain, the king was “unable to meet with survivors or comment directly on matters under investigation.”
Instead, the king and his wife hope to present to the American people a refined image: a royal family dedicated to learning, nature, animals, business opportunities for British companies and the support of young people.
In New York City on Wednesday, the royal couple will lay a wreath at the September 11 memorial in Lower Manhattan, sharing the stage with Mayor Zohran Mamdani; former mayor Michael Bloomberg; and other officials. Charles will also visit a program in Harlem to teach children and young people affected by food insecurity about sustainable urban farming.
To support literacy, the Queen will celebrate Winnie the Pooh’s 100th birthday at the New York Public Library.
The couple will spend their last day in the United States in Virginia. They will lay flowers at Arlington National Cemetery, and the king will attend “a gathering to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary and visit members of indigenous communities and people involved in conservation projects in the park.
The Queen will visit a farm that promotes the horse racing industry.
If all goes as Buckingham Palace hopes, the visit will help strengthen ties between the two countries despite strained relations.
In 1957, the queen’s visit did just that. In a toast to Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner at the White House, Mr. Eisenhower spoke of his deep respect for the British people and the royal family.
“I want to make a toast to the queen,” he said. “I also want to say that my faith in the future of these two great countries and the British Commonwealth of Nations, in fact the entire free world, is inescapable.”
