Envoy to Britain warns against cancelling king’s US visit
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Britain's King Charles III (left) with US President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England, during a three-day state visit by Mr Trump to the UK in September 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
- US envoy Warren Stephens said cancelling King Charles' US visit would be a "big mistake," despite calls to delay it over the Middle East war.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson invited King Charles to address Congress, which would be a first for a British monarch in decades.
- The visit faces opposition in Britain, with a recent poll showing almost half the population are in opposition to it ahead of the 2025 general election.
AI generated
LONDON - Washington’s envoy to the UK said on March 26 it would be a “big mistake” to cancel King Charles III’s planned state visit to the US, following calls to abandon the trip over the Middle East war.
It has been rumoured for months that the British monarch will visit the United States in April, but Buckingham Palace has not officially confirmed the trip.
The plans have met with opposition, including from politicians urging it to be called off over the US-Israel war against Iran and President Donald Trump’s harsh critiques of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“I think that would be a very big mistake,” US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens said, when asked about the calls to cancel or delay the visit after a speech at the British Chambers of Commerce.
“I think he will go, and I think it will be a very meaningful trip for him,” said Mr Stephens, who could not confirm the visit.
He also said US House Speaker Mike Johnson had invited King Charles to address both Houses of Congress during his visit.
Should he accept, Charles would be the first British monarch to address Congress in more than three decades.
Politico reported that the trip was set for the last week of April.
If confirmed, it will be Charles’ first trip to the US as king, after hosting Mr Trump for a lavish state visit in September 2025.
US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens (right) during a January 2025 visit to Britain by US House Speaker Mike Johnson (centre), with Mr Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of Britain’s House of Commons.
PHOTO: REUTERS
‘Safer to delay’
The mercurial US president has frequently expressed admiration for Britain’s royal family, which threw him a full state dinner at Windsor Castle, military parades and a flyover during his visit.
The royal trip would come at a rocky time for the so-called US-UK “special relationship”, with Mr Trump criticising Mr Starmer’s reticence over the Middle East war.
It has also been a tricky few months for the British royals.
Charles’ younger brother, the former prince Andrew, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following the latest US release of files linked to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A YouGov poll published on March 26 found nearly half of British citizens opposed the visit to the US, with only a third saying it should go ahead.
Ms Emily Thornberry, a senior MP in Mr Starmer’s ruling Labour party, said earlier this month it would be “safer to delay” the visit.
She warned that Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, could be left feeling “embarrassed” because of the ongoing conflict.
“Why are we rewarding Donald Trump with a state visit from our king?” asked Mr Ed Davey, leader of the minority opposition Liberal Democrats party. AFP
