Charles Faces Tall Order in US Visit: Evoke Spirit of His Mom

The challenge for King Charles III when he embarks on next week's state visit to the US is, as always, to live up to his mother's example. The late Queen Elizabeth II wowed Congress in 1991 with a speech that celebrated the shared democratic traditions of Britain and the United States; quoted Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and highlighted the deep bonds between the two nations. Those themes will also be at the top of Charles' agenda as he celebrates America's 250th birthday and seeks to calm tensions surrounding Prime Minister Keir Starmer's refusal to support US President Trump's war against Iran, said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, per the AP.

Beneath the pomp of Charles' four-day trip to DC, New York, and Virginia starting Monday is a choreographed diplomatic event staged, like all royal visits, at the request of the UK government. Starmer resisted pressure to cancel it after Trump belittled the British military's sacrifices in Afghanistan and criticized him personally for failing to back the US in Iran. Despite those tensions, Trump has continued to speak warmly about Charles. "History has shown that President Trump really tries to be impressive whenever he's dealing with British royalty," Brinkley said. "And I'm sure it'll be the same this time around."

Queen Elizabeth II made four state visits to the US during her 70-year reign. She helped President Gerald R. Ford celebrate America's bicentennial in 1976 and met with President George W. Bush in 2007 as British and American forces fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Smoothing turbulent waters and reminding both sides about their common bonds were what those trips were all about. Charles' visit will be no different. It includes a commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; a ceremony honoring fallen service members; and an event to be attended by Queen Camilla to mark the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh stories by British author AA Milne.

Charles won't meet with Jeffrey Epstein's victims, despite calls for the king to address his brother's links to the convicted sex offender. Nor are there plans for Charles to meet with his son Prince Harry, who has been a critic of the monarchy since giving up royal duties and moving to California. "There's a difference between the government of the UK and the kings and queens of Great Britain, who are really always coming to try to put [on] a good face," Brinkley said. "Politics come and go, prime ministers, presidents, come and go, but there's something deeper about the special relationship between the United States and the UK." More here.