Sir Rod Stewart referred to Donald Trump as a “little ratbag” while greeting King Charles at a London event on Monday night. Video footage shows the rocker telling the monarch: “May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb… put that little ratbag in his place.”
King Charles appeared to laugh off the comment, according to The Independent, though his response was not audible. Stewart continued: “Exactly, that’s it – it went right over his head, right over his head.” He then turned to Queen Camilla and said: “I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.”
The King and Queen had made a four-day state visit to the United States in late April, which included addressing Congress and visiting the president in the Oval Office. Stewart’s remarks echo earlier criticism of Trump; in January, he called the former US president a “draft dodger” and urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage to demand an apology for comments about British troops in Afghanistan.
King Charles’ own comments during the US visit were more measured. At a White House state dinner, he joked about the British burning the White House in 1814 and presented Trump with a bell from HMS Trump. In his address to Congress, he defended NATO, Ukraine, and climate action, warning against becoming “ever more inward-looking.”
