King Charles heads to Washington to restore the UK-US relationship
Two and a half centuries after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III lands in Washington Monday with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight.
A shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit, intended to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the US-UK “special relationship.”
Buckingham Palace said the king “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.” After a security review, the palace said the trip “will proceed as planned.”
Trump praises the king but derides Starmer A rift between the UK Government and Trump over issues including the Iran war had already raised the political stakes for the British monarch’s visit.
In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his unwillingness to join US military attacks on Iran, dismissing Britain’s leader as “not Winston Churchill” - the World War II prime minister who coined the phrase “special relationship” for the UK-US 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 US could reassess support for the UK’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic. Britain and Argentina fought a 1982 war over the islands, also known as the Islas Malvinas.
The president insists the political chill won’t affect the royal visit. Charles “has nothing to do with that,” Trump said in March, meaning NATO.
The president has spoken in glowing terms about Charles, repeatedly referring to the monarch as his “friend” and a “great guy.”
