Trump and King Charles (Image: Getty)
Furious Brits have called on King Charles to cancel his US state visit to the US as Donald Trump launches another scathing attack on the UK.
President Trump said the UK and other countries which did not take part in strikes against Iran should secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves. The US president said countries which “refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” should “build up some delayed courage, go to the strait and just take it”.
In the latest sign that his Middle East campaign has severely damaged long-standing relationships, Mr Trump suggested its allies will “have to start learning how to fight for yourself”. The UK was the only country named in a post by Mr Trump on his Truth Social platform.
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The exact dates of the visit have not been disclosed. (Image: Getty)
These comments came less than an hour before Buckingham Palace announced the King and Queen will make a state visit to the US in late April, giving an indication of the diplomatic tensions Charles will have to navigate.
The King’s state visit to the US is to go ahead next month as planned, with the move sparking criticism as the Government was accused of being “too weak to stand up to bullies”. Charles and the Queen’s long-expected historic trip to see Donald Trump will take place in late April despite calls for it to be postponed because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey condemned the decision to continue with the trip, and accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of showing a “staggering lack of backbone” while US president Mr Trump treated the UK with contempt.
It will be the King’s first visit to the US as monarch and the first state visit by a British sovereign to America for nearly 20 years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s tour in 2007. Charles and Camilla will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, attend a glittering state dinner at the White House, and the King will address Congress during the historic tour, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
But exact dates and details have yet to be disclosed. Charles will stop off afterwards in Bermuda – without Camilla – for his first royal visit as monarch to a British Overseas Territory. Many social media users expressed their disappointment at the decision to confirm the state visit.
One user said: « Time to reverse course, and shut all American bases too whilst you’re at it. » Another wrote « the UK should have had good relations with Europe instead, » while another person called the decision « a national embarrassment ».
Controversy has grown in recent weeks as to whether the royal tour should be postponed or cancelled. Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry suggested it would be “safer to delay”, warning Charles and Camilla could be left feeling “embarrassed” because of the current crisis. But Mr Trump’s man in the UK Mr Stephens said it would be a “very big mistake” to postpone the visit, adding it would be a “very meaningful trip” for the King.
Buckingham Palace said: “On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America.
“Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
“The King will then continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory.”
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