British royal visits to the US have served as moments of bonding not just between heads of state but between their countries: think of King George VI eating hot dogs in 1939 with President Franklin D Roosevelt, or Queen Elizabeth II dancing with President Gerald Ford. King Charles III’s visit this week, officially to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, is more about renewing ties with America and Americans than with President Donald Trump. But the backdrop makes this one of the trickiest visits a UK monarch has faced.
UK-US relations are at their lowest ebb since the 1956 Suez crisis. Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to back the US-Israeli war with Iran has led Trump to denigrate the UK military and belittle the prime minister. A Pentagon memo reportedly floated reviewing the US position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands in retaliation. Tensions were already simmering after Starmer joined in condemnations of the president’s ambitions towards Greenland.
For Buckingham Palace, there were other disincentives. Trump has indicated designs, too, on Canada — of which Charles III also happens to be king. The monarch’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated for his links to Jeffrey Epstein. And this weekend’s assassination attempt on Trump raised questions over safety.