Trump and King Charles praise US-UK “special relationship” at White House dinner despite tensions over Iran war and allied disagreements
WASHINGTON: Britain’s King Charles and Donald Trump hailed their countries’ longstanding ties at a White House state dinner Tuesday – despite the US president claiming the monarch agreed with him on Iran’s nuclear weapons.
Over a lavish meal, Charles echoed the tone of his earlier speech to Congress in which he urged London and Washington to stick together, without directly mentioning the tensions over the US-Israeli war with Tehran.
But in his toast to a gala dinner attended by tech titans and golfer Rory McIlroy, Trump made his first public comments on the sensitive topic during the four-day visit by the British royals.
“We have militarily defeated that particular opponent,” Trump said at the White House dinner. “Charles agrees with me even more than I do — we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has repeatedly lambasted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his opposition to the Iran war, and there is no indication that King Charles has shown support for the US leader’s stance.
Nevertheless, both leaders strongly praised the “special relationship” between Britain and Washington, putting aside however briefly the transatlantic tensions.
In his toast, Charles said he was “here to renew an indispensable alliance which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security.”
Yet Charles pointedly mentioned the importance of international alliances like NATO that Trump has repeatedly disparaged — and called for continued support for Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
“Together, we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world,” he added.
Star guests
The menu for the lavish dinner included a garden vegetable veloute, spring herbed ravioli and Dover sole meuniere, followed by a White House honey and vanilla bean cremeux.
Invited guests included Apple boss Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and two-time Masters-winning golfer Rory McIlroy, who was born in Northern Ireland.
The king and the president also struck a light-hearted tone, with Charles joking about Trump’s recent comments that allies would be speaking German if not for US support in World War II.
“Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles quipped, referring to the contest between the colonial powers of Britain and France before US independence 250 years ago.
Trump meanwhile hailed Charles’s “fantastic” speech to Congress, adding: “He got the Democrats to stand — I’ve never been able to do that.”
The king received a warm reception from lawmakers in Congress as he urged the United States on Tuesday to stand firm with its Western allies, and broached topics like the environment that Trump often scorns.
Charles stressed that “unyielding resolve” was needed to secure a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale invasion by Russia since 2022.
‘No closer friends’
In just the second speech to Congress by a British monarch following his mother Elizabeth II in 1991, Charles also pointed to shared democratic traditions that opponents have accused Trump of undermining.
He noted that the British Magna Carta had been cited in more than 160 US Supreme Court cases, highlighting — to rapt applause from the opposition Democrats — the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.
Trump earlier hailed Britain as America’s closest ally as he welcomed Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House with pomp, ceremony, a 21-gun salute and a flypast.
“In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British,” Trump said.
The visit comes at a delicate moment, with Trump criticizing Britain over its stance on Iran and other policies.
Despite the tensions, the US president struck a jovial tone, joking about his Scottish-born mother having “a crush on Charles” and making a jibe about the British weather.
Security has been tight during the visit following an alleged assassination attempt against Trump at a weekend Washington media gala.
“Such acts of violence will never succeed,” Charles said.
The royals will visit New York on Wednesday, touring the 9/11 memorial, before departing Thursday for Bermuda.
