SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
London/Washington: The royal family has acquired a nickname in diplomatic circles: the Trump whisperers.
The last state visit – and those that preceded it – was so successful that there is a theory that Donald Trump would prefer to deal with the Windsors over any British politician.
For that reason, they are to be deployed again – in the nick of time – with the war on Iran having seemingly stretched the so-called special relationship to breaking point.
Politically, it is close to an emergency.
The US president’s repeated criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of being “not Winston Churchill”, is a remarkable low for a relationship that has previously proven amicable.
Despite 10 Downing Street’s eventual decision to allow the US to use Royal Air Force bases for “limited defensive” strikes on Iran, the White House remains furious that Trump’s request was initially refused.
Diplomats in Washington have since scrambled to resolve the situation, but the United Kingdom’s decision to replace Peter Mandelson as the US ambassador has hampered their efforts.
Christian Turner, his replacement, has not had much time to build close relationships with Trump’s team. Starmer, whom the president also castigated over the Chagos Islands last month, has one lever left to pull.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are already pencilled in to visit America at the end of April. The trip has not yet been confirmed, palace sources emphasise, and is a “matter for government”. Nevertheless, it is expected to go ahead.
It will be tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence, with the King following in his late mother’s footsteps. For the 200th anniversary, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travelled to the US in a show of friendship, with the Queen giving a magnanimous speech about George III, her ancestor, and his defeat at the hands of colonial rebels.
Officials in Washington are hoping that another state visit – following the King’s hosting duties in Windsor last year – will smooth trans-Atlantic tensions, which had been bubbling under the surface for months.
The special relationship now is at an “all-time low”, one source familiar with negotiations over the potential visit admitted. “The royal visit can’t come quickly enough.”
“If they could bring it forward, they would,” another source said about the government. “There is no other way” to reset the UK-US relationship, warned another.
Should the charms of the King and Queen not suffice for a president who thrives on novelty, there is another suggestion on the table: the Prince and Princess of Wales could make a second royal trip in July.
It would be a blockbuster event. The princess has not travelled overseas in an official capacity since before her illness, and the White House is understood to be very keen for them to visit.
Travolta moment
Sources point to the example of the famous “John Travolta moment” in 1985 in which Diana, then princess of Wales, danced with the actor at the White House. Should her son and his wife stage a photocall of similar impact, it would represent a coup for their potential hosts.
The president requested to sit next to Catherine at the Windsor Castle state banquet, it is said. He was “bowled over” by the hospitality, leaving full of ideas for the White House decor and asking for details about the golden carriages the royal family has at its disposal for such diplomatic duties. “He wants to be as royal as the royals,” one critic says.
Trump’s praise for three generations of the royal family, partly inspired by his mother’s Scottish ancestry, is well known.
The late Queen was a “fantastic person”, he said, the King a “great gentleman” and Prince William “really very handsome”. In the president’s mind, this was the highest praise, even if it was slightly tempered by him adding about William: “Some people look better in person.”
There is a view to the future behind the potential visit, too, with the Prince and Princess of Wales being the monarchy’s next generation. “It’s not just about the glitz and glamour,” says a source. “It’s about building a deep, enduring relationship [with the US] that will last for decades.”
That relationship, the source added, helps British governments through difficult patches. Which is another reason, supporters of the royal family would say, not to pursue the idea of stripping back the pomp and ceremony of monarchy to resemble the style of the European “bicycling royals”.
To the outside world, and many UK voters, there are myriad reasons for the royal family to avoid making a public fuss of a president facing a domestic revolt over his war in Iran, questions about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and criticism of his immigration policy.
Some would like Starmer to have his Love Actually moment, a reference to the film scene in which Hugh Grant’s fictional prime minister tells an American president that a “friend who bullies us is no longer a friend”.
Insiders on both sides of the pond, though, are clear: the royals are the Trump card, and Britain would be “mad” not to play it.
There is already an idea that the government will delay serious talks about further trade tariffs until after the King has had time with Trump, in the hopes that the “mood in camp” will improve.
It is not the first time the monarchy has been deployed in such circumstances. Last year, they were successfully tasked with using their soft power to help secure a favourable trade deal.
The UK has received some preferential treatment from the White House on tariff policy, and the trade deal has given Starmer something to highlight to his voters.
On Ukraine, the King sent for President Volodymyr Zelensky after his bruising encounter in the White House in February last year, inviting him for tea and a show of support at Sandringham while Trump cooled.
When Trump appeared to be growing enthusiastic about the idea of invading Canada, and tested his neighbour with rhetoric about it becoming the “51st state”, Charles flew out to address the Canadian parliament as its King.
One senior diplomatic source likens the monarch’s role, historically, to helping put out small fires before they take hold.
King Charles, who is still having cancer treatment, will travel as and when the government asks him, sources say.
World Cup
The Prince of Wales, too, will say yes if the government requests him to visit. As yet, royal sources insist, there has been no official invitation for Kensington Palace.
If they do travel, it will be for events close to Independence Day on July 4. The prince, who is president of the Football Association, is likely to attend a World Cup match to support England while he is there.
The princess’s attendance will depend on factors including her family’s schedule: the couple prioritise stability for their children and rarely travel overseas together for long without them.
If all four senior members of the royal family visit America in one year, it would fulfil Trump’s desire for another “unprecedented” show of friendly force.
“His [positive] feelings about the royal family trump – pun intended – his [negative] feelings about Starmer,” a source familiar with the US administration says.
Insiders on both sides of the pond are clear: the royals are the Trump card, and Britain would be “mad” not to play it.
Another source points out that Trump’s habit of “flip-flopping” in policy and tone means that a seemingly dire situation today will not necessarily last anyway.
A high-profile state visit is not without significant risk of “awkwardness” at best and “global ridicule” at worst.
There are fears that Trump will use the platform of a state dinner or Oval Office press conference – the president could stage one while the King is still in the country – to criticise the UK and its political leadership. “Will he treat the royals nicely, but use the media attention to say how disappointed he is in the UK and Starmer?” a source asks.
One suggestion is to hold off on confirming any visit from the Waleses until the King and Queen are safely home without incident.
The royal family knows their role in this and will play it. “This is the job,” one former aide has said.
Palace sources have been at pains to point out, during a series of US visits, that the president and his entourage have behaved impeccably to date, and that state visits are about the country rather than its leader.
But the question lingers. How much longer can we rely on using the royals as a sort of human shield between Trump and Starmer? The answer is another few months, at least.
