King’s state visit to US to meet Trump goes ahead despite tensions over Iran
The King’s state visit to the US to see Donald Trump is to go ahead next month as planned, with the move sparking criticism as the Government was accused of being “too weak to stand up to bullies”.
Charles and the Queen’s long-expected historic trip will take place in late April despite calls for it to be postponed or even cancelled because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. US president Mr Trump declared the trip will be “TERRIFIC!” and a “momentous occasion” in a post on his Truth Social, adding that there would be “a beautiful Banquet Dinner” at the White House on the evening of April 28. He also revealed the “historic state visit” will take place over four days from April 27-30 – despite Buckingham Palace deciding not to release the exact dates in its own official announcement. “I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!,” Mr Trump added. Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey condemned the decision to continue with the trip, and accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of showing a “staggering lack of backbone” while Mr Trump treated the UK with contempt. Mr Trump has branded the UK’s approach to the Iran war “terrible” and repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir, including describing him as “not Winston Churchill”, with the special relationship between the two allied nations appearing increasingly strained. The official announcement from Buckingham Palace came less than an hour after Mr Trump told the UK to secure the Strait of Hormuz itself and “go get your own oil”. It will be the King’s first visit to the US as monarch and the first state visit by a British sovereign to America for nearly 20 years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s tour in 2007. State visits are undertaken on “the advice of His Majesty’s Government”, a fact with which the Palace began its official statement announcing the tour. Sir Ed said: “The Prime Minister is showing a staggering lack of backbone by pushing ahead with this state visit while Donald Trump treats our country with contempt. “To send the King on a state visit to the US after Trump dismissed our Royal Navy as toys is a humiliation, and a sign of a government too weak to stand up to bullies. “What appalling thing does Trump have to do next to make the Government see sense and cancel the state visit?” Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, described Mr Trump as representing “the biggest threat to our security, prosperity and peace of anybody in the world”. He added: “Sending the King for another unprecedented state visit effectively whitewashes Trump’s actions. “It sends exactly the wrong message, at a time we need to be standing up to his reckless, deadly bullying around the world.” Charles and Camilla will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, attend a glittering state dinner at the White House, and the King will address Congress during the historic tour, Buckingham Palace confirmed. But exact day by day details of the programme have yet to be disclosed. Charles will stop off afterwards in Bermuda – without Camilla – for his first royal visit as monarch to a British Overseas Territory. US president Mr Trump had already revealed he would entertain the King and Queen with a state dinner, while US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens said the King had been invited to address both Houses of Congress during his stay. The late Queen became the first British monarch to address Congress in 1991 when she attended a joint session in the Capitol building during her state visit in aftermath of the Gulf War. The King’s trip comes in the midst of the Iran war. Controversy has grown in recent weeks as to whether the royal tour should be postponed or cancelled. Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry suggested it would be “safer to delay”, warning Charles and Camilla could be left feeling “embarrassed” because of the current crisis. But Mr Trump’s man in the UK Mr Stephens said it would be a “very big mistake” to postpone the visit, adding it would be a “very meaningful trip” for the King. Buckingham Palace said: “On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America. “Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence. “The King will then continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory.” State visits are rarely postponed, except for security reasons and illness, and the royal family’s soft power diplomacy is viewed as an important and unique way of engaging with the billionaire-turned-politician Mr Trump, who is well known for his love of the monarchy. Mr Trump declared earlier in March that trip was going ahead and that he was “looking forward” to meeting the King again, and more recently revealed: “He’s going to be here very soon, as you know, we’re going have a state dinner. It’s going be great.” He added: “He’s a friend of mine.” The president was feted with a second state visit to the UK, unprecedented for an American leader, last year. He hailed the King as a “great gentleman and a great King” during his stay, praised the Princess of Wales for being “so radiant and so healthy and so beautiful”, and later said he ate “whatever the hell they served us” at the sumptuous state banquet. The King’s youngest son the Duke of Sussex, with whom he has had a troubled relationship, lives on the US West Coast with his wife the Duchess of Sussex and the King’s youngest grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. But Harry will not travel to Washington DC to see his father during his stay, a source to the duke said. Charles, who is still being treated for cancer, and Harry last met face to face six months ago, and the King last saw Archie and Lili in person nearly four years ago. The Palace tour announcement came on the same day the duke was in Washington to deliver a keynote speech at the IAPP global summit on privacy, AI governance and cybersecurity law.
Published: by Radio NewsHub