President Trump will host Britain’s King Charles III for a state visit at the White House on Monday, as tensions remain high on multiple fronts.
Washington is still reeling from Saturday’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A gunman, who is in custody, targeted Mr. Trump and Cabinet officials, according to his manifesto.
At the same time, anxiety is running high between the U.S. and the U.K. over Mr. Trump’s war in Iran.
The two countries are longtime allies, but Mr. Trump has been fiercely critical of Britain’s decision not to join the military operation and has levied personal attacks on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying, “This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.”
In Britain, the war is deeply unpopular amid anger over rising gas prices. Some politicians, including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, have called for Charles to cancel the trip to America.
Mr. Starmer has insisted the visit will take place, saying it will be “an important reminder of the long-standing bonds and enduring relationship” between the two countries. He added that those ties are “greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time.”
Other sensitive issues that could surface during the visit include the king’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles because of his ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Trump has threatened to impose a “huge tariff” on the U.K. if it doesn’t drop its digital service tax on U.S. tech companies. The president said the tariff is necessary to “protect” American companies.
On Sunday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the state visit by Charles and Queen Camilla will take place as planned, following the WHCA dinner shooting.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow,” the palace said in a statement, adding that Charles was “greatly relieved” that Mr. Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other guests were unharmed.
The White House declined to comment on whether it would make any changes to the visit or add any security protocols in response to the attack.
Despite the differences between the two countries, Mr. Trump has long raved over Charles, who invited the president to the U.K. for an unprecedented second state visit last September.
Ahead of the visit, Mr. Trump told BBC News that Charles is “fantastic.”
“I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” he added. “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man,” adding that the king “would absolutely be a positive for improving relations.
Charles’ actual powers are extremely limited, though.
Charles, along with his mother Queen Elizabeth II and every British monarch since before the United States gained independence, plays a ceremonial role and does not wade into politics.
