Donald Trump dreams of being a king – and he needs Charles on side. The US president has said the King's visit to America next week could help repair the so-called 'special relationship' – in truth, Trump has as much to gain as the UK, writes Jon Sopel.
Who Would Want to Go to the US Right Now?
For nearly all of us, there is the agency to decide. Two people who don't have that option are off across the Atlantic next week. They are the King and Queen. It was very telling when the announcement came confirming the state visit; the Buckingham Palace press notice started 'On the advice of His Majesty's government.' Now of course, all state visits are decided on the advice of ministers. We live in a constitutional monarchy after all. But it seemed as though the Palace just wanted to put in our minds the thought that this wasn't their idea.
I was told the view in royal circles that Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain was happening too soon after Keir Starmer was elected, with that ostentatious pulling of an envelope from the PM's jacket pocket at his Oval Office meeting, inviting the president back to London. The second state visit did go ahead, and we were treated to the full, slightly gut-churning guff about how the 'special relationship' had never been more special. It was the special-est it had ever been. Keir and Donald's bromance had never been so close – or the thinnest millimetre deep.
But then it all went south. Donald Trump decided to attack Iran. Britain said we'll sit this one out – and, well, suddenly Keir was no longer this man of principle and tough as steel. He was a weak, weedy disappointment, an appeasing Chamberlain. He was no Churchill, the president told reporters. Britain had let America down, and America wouldn't forget.
Into This Maelstrom Sail the King and Queen
As fence menders, there could be no one better. The president has said as much. He told the BBC that the King's visit will patch things up. Charles and Camilla are skilled and adroit diplomats. But can we step back for a moment from Donald Trump's one-man drama and look at the reality? The special relationship is a chimaera. It's true that Americans love our royal family and take precious little notice of our politicians. As an example, I have had calls from US networks about commentating on the royal visit. I have had zero calls about the woes of Starmer and whether he's finished as PM because of the Mandelson affair.
The special relationship is our obsession. Not America's. In a lot of areas – national security, intelligence sharing, defence cooperation (Iran notwithstanding) – there is a very tight bond between our two nations. But that has been carrying on as normal, despite the White House histrionics. I was back in Washington a couple of weeks ago and was told as much.
My Initial Instinct Was to Think 'Don't Go'
Why reward the bad behaviour of a president who was being obnoxious to our prime minister over a perfectly reasonable decision not to get involved in the ill-fated Iran war? And why put our royal family in a position where they could be embarrassed by an ill-disciplined narcissist who is an inveterate attention seeker? What Buckingham Palace will be keen to avoid is any situation where the King is asked by the president to comment on how Starmer is doing, or what he thinks about the state of our armed forces. The schedule will be tightly managed to avoid snafus like that. But as we know, Trump is unpredictable.
However, this is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US, a country that wanted to shake off British rule and the redcoats of King George III and forge its own, brilliant path; a country that twice in the last century came to our rescue in the darkest hours of the European continent. Whether we like it or not, there is a common bond and shared history. And overwhelmingly in these 250 years, it has been to Britain's advantage to be bound tightly to the United States, even if it doesn't quite feel like that right now.
Rightly, the American people would have probably thought it the most dreadful snub if the invitation had been turned down by the British King.
Trump Has as Much to Gain as We Do
One other point worth making is that I don't think the need for this trip to go well is a one-way street. Sure, Starmer and his beleaguered government could do without the sniping coming from across the pond. The United States is still our biggest single export market. We don't want Trump throwing his tariff toys out of the pram and taking further punitive measures. But Donald Trump is in need of help, too. His approval ratings have tanked and are getting worse. His Maga coalition is splintering over Iran, and on other issues too. The coalition of voters he pulled together for the 2024 election has disintegrated. His ICE policies have alienated the Hispanic voters who gave up their lifelong allegiance to the Democrats. Prices are rising, and affordability is decreasing. To his horror, Democrats are fighting these midterms just as dirtily as the Republicans – and for the first time the president is countenancing the idea that the Republicans might lose control of the House of Representatives, and possibly even the Senate.
Donald Trump has burnished the Oval Office and the White House with ever-increasing amounts of gilt and gold paint, as though he is some latter-day king living in a make-believe palace. How marvellous then to have the real thing by his side next week. The king will quietly and persuasively make the case for Britain. My guess is Donald Trump will be on his best behaviour. He has as much to gain – maybe even more – as we do.
