King Charles III’s diplomatic mission to the United States was always going to be a tough challenge, but new comments from President Donald Trump indicate just how steep the mountain he has to climb has become.
Why It Matters
In the United Kingdom, Charles’ state visit to the U.S. later this month is widely seen as an opportunity for the monarchy to exercise its famous soft power on the American president at a time when relations between the two countries are at a low.
Trump now routinely takes public swipes at British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for not joining the war with Iran, a conflict that in turn threatens to spark inflation in the U.K. economy, potentially damaging economic growth.
However, any hopes that Charles will secure a more favorable approach from Trump may need a rain check after Trump told Sky News he did not know the king was visiting at the British government’s request.
Donald Trump’s Comments on the State Visit
Mark Stone, U.S. correspondent for Sky News, read extracts from the transcript of his telephone conversation with Trump during the network’s Trump 100 podcast. Stone described how Charles’ mission is very much to use the monarchy’s famed soft power to warm relations between Trump and Britain, adding: “[Charles has] come here to do a bit of work for the government, but the president doesn’t seem to know that. I asked him about it.”
“I sort of asked him whether he thought the strained relationship with Keir Starmer was going to have an impact on the visit, and he said ‘not at all. I’ve known the king a long time. He’s not involved in that process, the politics,” Stone said.
“But then I said, but he’s been asked to come here to America by Downing Street, by the prime minister. And the president said, ‘I don’t know who asked. I mean, I didn’t realize that, but if he is, that’s my honor. It’s my honor to have him at the White House.’
“So it appeared to me he wasn’t entirely clear of the process that the king hasn’t just come here for a jolly. The king has come here on, you know, government business effectively.”
What’s worse for the prospects of the king’s diplomatic mission is that Trump is currently threatening to downgrade the trade deal with Britain.
In other words, if Charles returns from a state visit that could give Trump a boost months before the midterms, only to find relations between the two countries get worse, not better, then it will be very difficult to argue that Britain’s soft power has been a success.
On relations between the nations, Trump told Stone: “We gave them a good trade deal, better than I had to, which can always be changed.”
King Charles and Donald Trump’s Relationship
King Charles invited Trump to a historic second state visit to Windsor Castle in 2025, during which the president was given a carriage procession around Windsor.
At the time, it was regarded as a huge success and was the biggest achievement of Charles’ reign, just three years in, as it paved the way for Starmer to sign a tech prosperity deal with America. However, at the time, Trump and Starmer were getting along, so the king was pushing at an open door. Since then, the tech deal has been suspended, and the relations between the countries are floundering.
Charles, therefore, stands to give Trump exactly what he wants—a popularity-boosting royal seal of approval—with little to no guarantee of getting anything the U.K. wants.
And the stakes are high for the British government, with growth forecasts already downgraded just this week by the IMF to 0.8 percent, from 1.3 percent, the BBC reported.
