Can King Charles’ Visit Help Strengthen UK–Trump Relations?

The upcoming visit by King Charles III to the United States, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, is being viewed as one of the most significant overseas engagements of his reign.

There are high expectations on both sides of the Atlantic that the royal visit next week could help restore the long-standing “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom, which has reportedly weakened to its lowest level in 70 years amid tensions linked to disagreements over the Iran conflict.

A known supporter of the monarchy, Trump expressed optimism in an interview with the BBC, saying the King’s visit could “absolutely” help improve relations between Washington and London, while also offering warm praise for Charles.

“I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” he said. “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man. They would absolutely be a positive.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to the US for a four-day visit starting next Monday to mark the ‌250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence from British rule.

The monarch will hold a private meeting with the president and also deliver an address to Congress.

But one expert cautions against expectations the King will be engaging in one-to-one diplomacy with Trump to ease tensions over what the president says has been a lack of support from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Middle East.

“We should be aware this visit has been in the planning for months, and comes after Trump’s state visit to the UK,” said Sydney University cultural historian Cindy McCreery.

The biggest impact of the royal visit on easing recent US-UK tensions will probably be in the public image projecting decades of close economic, military and security links between the two nations, she says.

For Trump, it will offer another opportunity to indulge his love of the royal family and their representation of traditional social authority.

In a video shared on X by the US Department of State today, Trump said: “I look forward to having King Charles come. He’s a friend of mine. We’ve spoken and we’re going to have a great time.”

Some commentators have recalled comparisons with the White House visit by the King’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, seven decades ago, at a moment of plummeting Anglo-American relations.

She was received by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 during the aftermath of the seizure of the Suez Canal by British and French troops. When the US failed to support the takeover, it sparked a humiliating climbdown by the UK, and was regarded as a key moment when Britain lost world power status..

The then young Queen Elizabeth II was credited with restoring UK relations with the Eisenhower administration through ‘soft diplomacy’.