King Charles III meets Trump for U.S. state visit amid British tensions - BERITAJA

Two and a half hundreds of years aft the American colonies declared independency from Britain nether King George III, his descendant King Charles III arrived astatine the White House connected Monday with trans-Atlantic ties nether strain and information successful the spotlight.

A shooting at a Washington meal attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute information reappraisal of the four-day authorities visit, intended to observe the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship.”

Buckingham Palace said the king “is greatly relieved to perceive that the president, first woman and each guests person been unharmed.”

Trump and first woman Melania Trump greeted Charles and Queen Camilla astatine the White House South Portico. The couples were to chat complete beverage successful the Green Room earlier they spell extracurricular to spot a caller beehive successful the style of the White House that the first woman had installed past week.

Charles and Camilla some support beekeeping. He keeps astatine slightest 3 beehives astatine his backstage residence successful England arsenic portion of his support for the situation and sustainability.

A rift between the U.K. authorities and Trump complete issues including the Iran warfare had already raised the governmental stakes for the British monarch’s visit.

In caller weeks, Trump has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his unwillingness to subordinate U.S. subject attacks connected Iran, dismissing Britain’s leader arsenic “not Winston Churchill,” the World War II premier curate who coined the building “special relationship” for the U.K.-U.S. bond.

It’s part of a wider rift between Trump and the United States’ NATO allies, whom he has called “cowards” and “useless” for not joining action against Iran. A leaked Pentagon email suggested the U.S. could reassess support for the U.K.’s sovereignty complete the Falkland Islands in the southbound Atlantic. Britain and Argentina fought a 1982 warfare complete the islands, besides known arsenic the Islas Malvinas.

The president insists the governmental chill won’t impact the royal visit. Charles “has thing to do pinch that,” Trump said successful March, meaning NATO.

The president has spoken successful glowing position about Charles, many times referring to the monarch arsenic his “friend” and a “great guy.”

He besides continues to mention his “amazing” travel to the U.K. successful September pinch first woman Melania Trump for an unprecedented 2nd authorities visit. Starmer hand-delivered the invitation from the king successful the Oval Office 5 weeks aft Trump returned to office, successful a very nationalist effort to woo the Republican president.

The U.K. royal family laid connected pomp and pageantry for the Trumps, pinch scarlet-clad guardsmen, brass bands and a sumptuous banquet astatine Windsor Castle.

“President Trump has ever had awesome respect for King Charles, and their narration was further strengthened by the president’s historical sojourn to the United Kingdom past year,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Associated Press. “The president looks guardant to a typical sojourn by Their Majesties, which will see a beautiful authorities meal and aggregate events passim the week.”

Trump, meanwhile, told the BBC that the king’s sojourn could “absolutely” thief repair the trans-Atlantic relationship.

“He’s fantastic. He’s a awesome man. Absolutely the reply is yes,” the president said.

Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing successful American history, said the 2 governments person very different objectives for the trip.

He said that for Charles, the travel is about “reinforcing semipermanent ties, showcasing the monarchy’s soft powerfulness and reminding the world that Britain still carries negotiated weight.”

For Trump, it’s much about “a media event,” pinch accent connected the optics of a sojourn that resembles a gathering of “two gilded monarchs.”

Some U.K. politicians interest that the travel is fraught pinch opportunities for embarrassment. Trump’s recent broadsides astatine Pope Leo XIV have heightened those concerns.

Ed Davey, leader of the U.K. centrist guidance Liberal Democrats party, earlier this period called Trump “a vulnerable and corrupt gangster” and implored the authorities to cancel the trip.

“I really fearfulness for what Trump mightiness opportunity aliases do while our king is forced to guidelines by his side,” Davey said successful the House of Commons. “We cannot put His Majesty successful that position.”

Starmer defended the visit, saying “the monarchy, done the bonds that it builds, is often capable to scope done the decades” and bolster important relationships.

Raising the stakes is the protector of the king’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from nationalist life and put nether constabulary investigation complete his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He has denied committing immoderate crimes.

Epstein victims person urged the king to meet pinch them and different intersexual maltreatment survivors. It’s improbable he will do so.

Charles has visited the U.S. 19 times, but this is his first authorities sojourn to the state since becoming king successful 2022. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made 4 authorities visits to the U.S.

The king, who is 77 and was diagnosed successful early 2024 with an undisclosed shape of cancer, will walk 4 days successful the U.S. accompanied by Queen Camilla.

In Washington, the king and queen will person a backstage beverage pinch the Trumps and be a plot statement and a general White House authorities dinner. The president and the king will besides person a one-on-one meeting.

The royal mates will besides sojourn the Sept. 11 memorial successful New York and be a 250th day artifact statement successful Virginia, wherever Charles will besides meet Indigenous leaders progressive successful quality conservation — a favourite origin of the environmentalist king.

Three hundreds of years aft Britain’s kings and queens gave up immoderate existent governmental power, the royals stay symbols of soft power, deployed by elected governments to soft world relationships and nonstop messages about what the U.K. considers important.

A cardinal infinitesimal will beryllium the king’s reside to the U.S. Congress connected Tuesday. It’s only the 2nd time, aft Queen Elizabeth II successful 1991, that a U.K. monarch has addressed a associated gathering of some houses.

Elizabeth praised liberalism connected that trip, said against the thought that “power grows from the tube of a gun” and praised the “rich taste and taste diverseness of some our societies.”

The king’s treasured causes, including the situation and harmony among belief faiths, are successful opposition to Trump’s. He’s improbable to accentuate differences, but Allerfeldt said that, successful the monarch’s subtle way, the king could usage his reside to nonstop a message.

“He does person an unorthodox measurement of looking astatine the world, and I deliberation possibly he could really person thing valid to opportunity erstwhile he addresses Congress,” Allerfeldt said.