Donald Trump has claimed that King Charles agrees with him on the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions, stating that the monarch shares his view that Iran should never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. The remarks were made during a White House state dinner on Tuesday, held in honour of the visiting King Charles and Queen Camilla, following bilateral talks between the two leaders earlier that day.
Royal Neutrality Questioned
As the British head of state, the King is expected to remain above party politics and maintain political neutrality. Trump's comments are likely to cause some embarrassment among royal aides, as they suggest the King's private views—or at least what Trump claims them to be—have been made public. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson responded by stating: "The King is naturally mindful of his government's longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation."
Trump's Dinner Speech
In his speech at the white-tie event on Tuesday evening, Trump said: "We're doing a little Middle East work right now … and we're doing very well. We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we're never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do, we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon. They know that, and they've known it right now, very powerfully."
Trump has a history of describing opinions held by individuals he has spoken with privately, often through social media posts or public appearances, which frequently conflict with the actual views expressed by those individuals.
Political Reactions in the UK
In the United Kingdom, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey had repeatedly called for the King's trip to the US to be cancelled before Charles departed for his four-day state visit, which began on Monday. Davey told the House of Commons earlier this month: "President Trump is one of the most unpredictable people we have seen on the world stage and I hope he does not embarrass our monarch."
Bilateral Meeting and State Dinner
After the bilateral meeting, when questioned by the press as he left, Trump said: "It was a really good meeting. He's a fantastic person. They're incredible people and it's a real honour." During the state dinner, King Charles appeared to suggest that the purpose of his state visit was to "put the 'special' back into our relationship," echoing a sentiment expressed by Queen Elizabeth II almost 70 years ago. Charles spoke about the ties between Britain and the US, implying a parallel to events following the 1956 Suez crisis, when Elizabeth toured the US to help repair relations after Britain was left humiliated when the US refused to support its campaign with France and Israel to regain control of the Suez Canal from Egypt.
Charles told the dinner guests, who included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and golfer Rory McIlroy: "And yes, we have had our moments of difficulty, even in more recent history. When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the 'special' back into our relationship after a crisis in the Middle East." Some guests laughed when the King added: "Nearly 70 years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today …"
Diplomatic Context
Charles's most diplomatically sensitive state visit to date comes amid criticism levelled by Trump at Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the war in Iran. Relations between the two have been fractious, with the president calling the UK's approach to the Iran war "terrible" and repeatedly lashing out at Starmer, at one point describing him as "no Winston Churchill."
Ceremonial Welcome and Address to Congress
A ceremonial welcome was staged for Charles and Camilla on the White House's south lawn on Tuesday, and Trump praised the "special relationship" between the US and the UK, telling the King: "we hope it will always remain that way" and declaring: "Americans have had no closer friends than the British." Later that day, the King made a historic address to Congress on Capitol Hill, becoming only the second British monarch to do so after Elizabeth II in 1991. In his speech, Charles made no direct mention of the Iran war but referred to the key role of NATO and highlighted the importance of continued support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, as well as the dangers of isolationism.
On Wednesday, Charles and Camilla will mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York by laying flowers at one of the memorial pools.
