King Charles’ state go to to US needs to be delayed till Iran struggle is over and ‘tensions die down’ between Trump and Starmer, Whitehall insiders say
King Charles’ planned state visit to America should be delayed until the tensions between Donald Trump and Keir Starmer have subsided, senior Government officials argue.
Under plans drawn up before the start of the Iranian conflict, Charles and Camilla were due to fly to Washington at the end of next month for a three-day visit to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
But a Whitehall source involved with the planning of the trip said there had been a last-minute ‘wobble’ about signing off the plans after President Trump described Sir Keir as ‘not Winston Churchill’ for initially refusing to allow the US to mount bombing raids from UK military bases.
Since the plans were first drawn up, in the wake of Trump’s state visit to Britain last September, the President has included Britain in new trade tariffs, criticised it for giving up the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and claimed that British troops avoided the frontline in Afghanistan – earning a rebuke from Sir Keir for the ‘insulting and frankly appalling’ remarks.
The source said: ‘The plans were first put on pause in early February. Apart from everything else, there has been a noticeable lack of progress on the technology-related trade deals which were agreed during Trump’s visit.
‘Shouldn’t we be getting more bang for the King’s buck? Now it is being argued that maybe the visit should wait until all the tensions have died down and he can “mop up” after.’
The source added: ‘The pomp and ceremony could also feel incongruous and insensitive if the Middle East is still ablaze.’
Prince William is due to pay a visit to the States in July to mark both the football World Cup in US, Canada and Mexico and the July 4 celebrations – a trip which Trump insiders have described as the event which the President is ‘most excited about’ because he regards William and Kate as ‘the real rock stars of the Royal Family’.
King Charles III and Donald Trump reviewed the guard of honour during Mr Trump’s ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle in September last year
US President Donald Trump smiled at Catherine, Princess of Wales during his state visit to the UK last year
At last year’s State Banquet at Windsor Castle, Trump gushed that the Princess of Wales was ‘radiant and so healthy and so beautiful’.
A US source said of the proposed Charles visit: ‘It is getting very late for these details to be formalised. Apart from a Day 1 in Washington and a Day 2 in New York, no timetable seems to have been put together yet.’
The source added that the arrest of the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein – a former Trump associate – had contributed to the sense of ‘jeopardy’ over the visit.
The proposed visit would be a ‘slimmed down’ three days – half the length of Queen Elizabeth’s 1976 bicentennial tour – out of consideration for the fact that the King is recovering from cancer. Palace aides have been carefully managing the pace of his international travel.
Last night, a royal insider said: ‘Planning and preparation has been under way for a possible visit in the late spring, but the Government has the final say.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘No state visit has been confirmed and all state visits happen on the advice of Government.
A No 10 source said: ‘This is a matter for Buckingham Palace.’
