King Charles visits the US amid tense relations with President Trump
USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page takes a deep dive into the U.S.-British relationship and what to expect from King Charles III’s visit to Washington.
During her first visit as a sovereign to the United States, Queen Elizabeth II charmed President Dwight D. Eisenhower and successfully mended the rift between the two countries over the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Seventy years later, his son Charles will be put to the test in his first visit to Washington as a king, seeking to smooth relations between Britain and President Donald Trump, torn apart by tensions over the course of the Iran war and the future of the NATO alliance.
Will Charles III be able to harness his mother’s magic?
At stake may be the future of the “special relationship” between the two countries, forged during World War II and now even more at risk since Britain ignored Eisenhower’s advice and, in a spectacular miscalculation, tried to seize control of the Suez Canal.
As a constitutional monarch, Prince Charles has no intention of negotiating Britain’s role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz or the structure of the European Security Alliance, in which the United States appears determined to play a smaller role. These are the tasks of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government.
But with a state dinner and garden party at the White House, an address to a joint session of Congress, and photogenic sightseeing in New York City and Appalachia, Prince Charles and Queen Camilla will be looking to strengthen the foundations of their countries’ long ties, whatever the pressures of the moment.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Their program will mark the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and celebrate the historic links between Britain and the United States and the modern bilateral relationship.” (Half a century ago, in 1976, Elizabeth was participating in the bicentennial celebrations.)
In an interview about the visit with London’s Sky News, Trump was eager to meet Charles again, calling him “a great gentleman and a friend of mine.”
However, he was less optimistic about the country the king represented. When asked about the status of the “special relationship,” the president sarcastically replied, “With whom?” He said Mr Starmer had made “tragic mistakes” on immigration and energy policy and described US-UK relations as “sad”.
King Charles faces a major diplomatic test
King Charles’ first visit to the United States as a monarch comes amid tensions over NATO and Iran. USA TODAY’s Susan Page explains what’s at stake.
When Nixon tried to play matchmaker
Charles is no stranger to presidents.
In 1959, at the age of 10, wearing a Scottish kilt and knee socks, he met Eisenhower, a respected World War II general who had been invited to Balmoral Castle. On his first visit to the United States, Prince Charles was 21 years old and received blessings from President Richard Nixon, who reportedly hoped to stir up the prince’s romantic feelings for his eldest daughter.
“That was when they were trying to marry me to Tricia Nixon,” Charles recalled in an interview with CNN.
Years later, the prince met President Ronald Reagan, attended his wedding to Diana Spencer, and later became particularly close to First Lady Nancy Reagan, who sympathized with Elizabeth during their ill-fated marriage. During more than 19 visits to the United Kingdom and the United States, he also occasionally met with Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
And Mr. Trump.
The two are close in age. The king is 77 years old; The president is 79 years old. Mr. Trump has admired Charles’ mother since he was six years old and watched her coronation on TV while sitting next to his own Scottish-born mother. It is one of his childhood memories.
But when he first met Charles during a state visit to the UK in 2019, there was a problem.
Afterward, the president told aide Stephanie Grisham that the talks seemed to go on and on. “It’s nothing but climate change,” Grisham fumed, according to his White House memoir, “I’ll Take Your Questions Now.” Melania Trump admitted it with a laugh. “Oh, yes, he was very bored,” she said.
Following Elizabeth’s death, President Trump reflected on the challenges Charles will face as king. “She was just a legend,” he said in an interview for his 2024 book “Queens and Presidents.” “Time will pass, but it won’t be easy to replace someone like that.”
He added: “I hope Charles is given that opportunity as well.”
In 2025, just a month after Mr Trump’s second inauguration, Mr Starmer was clearly delighted when Mr Starmer delivered an invitation from Mr Charles for his second state visit to London, the first by a president. During a toast at a white tie dinner at Buckingham Palace, he called it “truly one of the greatest honors of my life.”
From Jeffrey Epstein to the Iran War
Prince Charles’ return visit to Washington comes at a tumultuous time.
The British royal family has been reeling from revelations of wrongdoing in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by Prince Charles’ older brother, who was stripped of his royal title and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The US presidency has also been thrown into some turmoil as President Trump’s unprecedented assertion of executive power has divided Americans and sparked a major legal battle.
And the Iran war not only disrupted the Middle East, but also affected the global economy and long-standing alliances.
Starmer warns that Britain, which has been America’s closest friend in the world for decades, now feels forced to turn to Europe. After President Trump dismissed NATO as a “Paper Tiger” and said he was “absolutely” considering a US withdrawal, he said: “As the world continues on this unstable path, our long-term national interests require close collaboration with our European allies and the European Union.”
It is a period more difficult than any that Elizabeth faced as queen.
“I think the mission remains the same,” former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton said in a 2025 interview. “I think the mission remains the same. I’ve seen Charles since he became king, and he’s trying very hard to contribute.” “But times are different now, and they’re not as tolerant. Taking a public stand in the age of social media is very difficult, much more difficult than before.”
Welcome to Washington, King Charles.
Susan Page is USA TODAY’s Washington bureau chief and author of “Queens and Presidents: The Hidden Hands That Shaped History,” published April 14 by Harper.
