Veteran BBC broadcaster David Dimbleby has criticised King Charles III's upcoming state visit to the United States, calling it “an embarrassment” amid ongoing US military action in Iran. The King and Queen Camilla are scheduled to attend a state dinner at the White House and address Congress next month.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight on March 31, Dimbleby said: “It’s a very bad political moment to send him the present of the King. And a state banquet, while he’s bombing the hell out of Iran? And people are dying all over the Middle East? A state banquet for the King, really? No.” He suggested the visit should have been postponed until tensions eased.
Dimbleby also criticised President Donald Trump, describing him as “a narcissist and a bully” who has insulted British troops and the Royal Navy. He expressed sympathy for the King, saying: “I feel sorry for him going and having to sit down to a state dinner with a man who has insulted the British troops in Afghanistan.”
The broadcaster doubled down on his comments on BBC Radio 4's PM programme, arguing that the government should have delayed the visit. “I was rather hoping that they might find a way of dodging the column by postponing the visit while what was going on in Iran was going on,” he said.
