Many royal watchers say King Charles’ state visit is a test of the "special friendship" between the U.S. and the U.K. — and the monarch is up for the challenge.
Royal broadcaster Neil Sean told Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ Digital that Charles is navigating a "delicate situation" during the four-day visit, which coincides with celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. But as glasses clink and guests gather at the White House state banquet on April 28, the king, 77, is expected to rely on his greatest asset: his signature charm.
"He plans to focus on humor, a trait that dates back to his ancestor King George in the 1700s," Sean explained. "What most people don’t know is that the king is well-read on history. And I’ve been told King Charles finds President Trump fascinating."
This is an excerpt from a story by Stephanie Nolasco. Read the full article here.
Sir Christian Turner, British Ambassador to the United States, insisted that the U.S. and the United Kingdom share the same goals on Iran despite increasing tensions between the countries over the Iran War and the Strait of Hormuz's closure. Turner's comments came on the second day of a historic four-day state visit by the U.K.'s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the U.S.
“On this conflict, let me be clear, we all share the same objective on Iran," Turner told Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning.
"This is a regime that has spent 40 years exporting terror. We absolutely are clear it cannot have a nuclear weapon," he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially rejected a request from the U.S. to use U.K. bases, including Royal Air Force base Fairford, which houses America's fleet of heavy bombers in Europe and Diego Garcia, a U.S. base on a British Overseas Territory in the Indian Ocean, to stage bombing campaigns on Iran.
The rejection prompted President Donald Trump to harshly criticize the Prime Minister, telling reporters "this is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with."
The U.K. did ultimately allow the U.S. to use Fairford and other bases for "specific and limited defensive purpose," a fact Turner pointed to Tuesday.
"There was a disagreement originally about the preemptive start to the war but since then the UK has been allowing its bases to be used for U.S. bombers to make defensive strikes, we’ve had our planes flying alongside the rest of the defensive U.S. systems in the region. More British fighters fighting every night, shooting down drones and missiles, than we've had for something like 15 years and of course our deep intelligence work. So we want to see this war come to an end. The president's blockade to try and keep the pressure up and hopefully get a deal that opens the Straits of Hormuz for all of our economies," Turner said.
Turner also referred to the economic strain that the closure of the key waterway in the Persian Gulf has on both British and global consumers.
"These Straits actually for the U.K., we don't get a lot of our oil and gas out of the Straits but of course they're global commodities. So if we're only taking two percent of the gas but everything rises in prices, it's all of our consumers that suffer," he said.
Turner's appearance precluded the second day of King Charles's U.S. visit, a meeting that Turner called "an extraordinary and historic moment" as the heads of state meet at a pivotal moment in the U.S.-U.K. relationship.
"At these moments to bring together these individuals is very very special," Turner said.
As Britain publicly distances itself from President Donald Trump’s Iran pressure campaign, King Charles III’s upcoming visit is shaping up as more than royal pageantry.
It may be Britain’s most important diplomatic tool for preventing growing policy fractures with Washington from becoming something deeper."
The British monarch has historically had huge importance in terms of creating personal diplomacy to smooth over ruffled feathers," Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank, told Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ Digital, arguing that the crown has often served as Britain’s strategic stabilizer during moments of political strain.
This is an excerpt from a story by Efrat Lachter. Read the full article here.
{{#rendered}}King Charles III will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday during his U.S. state visit marking America’s 250th birthday, stepping into a high-profile ceremonial moment as Washington remains on edge over heightened security concerns and tensions tied to the war with Iran.
The four-day trip is stacked with various events and private meetings, and comes during escalating pressure on security in Washington, D.C. following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that targeted President Donald Trump and his administration officials.
Queen Elizabeth II was the first monarch to deliver a speech at the U.S. Capitol during a state visit in 1991, two months after the end of the Gulf War, hammering down the importance of transatlantic alliances in her speech.
This is an excerpt from a story from Ashley J. DiMella. Read the full article here.
Yesterday's Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ Digital live blog offers additional coverage on King Charles III and Queen Camilla's state visit.
Live Coverage begins here