“The word ‘special’ does not begin to do it justice,” said Donald Trump of the relationship between the United States and Britain. “We’re like two notes in one chord, or two verses of the same poem — each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together.”
That was in September at a banquet hosted by King Charles III to mark his unprecedented second state visit to Britain. Since then, Trump’s comments about Britain have not been so lyrical, or so kind.
And so it falls to King Charles to help restore relations. The monarch arrives Monday for a four-day state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of its independence from British rule.
While Charles will be keen to spotlight the shared history between the two nations, the visit also comes amid increasingly acrimonious relations, particularly over disagreements over Trump’s war against Iran.
The British monarch is constitutionally obligated to remain above politics, but his government is hoping that his US trip can rescue the faltering relationship.
“The King will not be having the kind of conversation with the president, or with senior senators and so on, that the prime minister would, but he’s extremely well informed, and it provides an opportunity for private conversations on some really important issues,” said Peter Westmacott, former British ambassador to the United States.
“From the United Kingdom’s point of view, we would obviously hope that those private conversations will have some impact,” he added.
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