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Keir Starmer used a unique element of British diplomacy to help win over Donald Trump today: a personal invitation for a second state visit to the UK from King Charles himself.
The prime minister has travelled to the States in the hope of persuading the US president to offer security guarantees to Europe in the face of Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
But Trump is far more sympathetic to Putin’s cause than Starmer is, and far less concerned about Ukraine’s sovereignty. He also wants to end the Ukraine war as soon as possible.
So the PM, who is already walking along a diplomatic tightrope on this visit, pulled out the strongest weapon in the government’s armoury – the King.
Starmer presented the president with a letter inviting him for a second state visit to the UK while they were sat in the Oval Office together, upending the usual custom of offering only one state visit per president.
Speaking in front of the press, the PM said Trump’s last visit six years ago was a “tremendous success”, and the second visit would be “unprecedented” and “truly historic”.
In fact, the last inward state visit under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign was from Trump and his wife Melania Trump in June 2019.
Evidently, the flattery worked: Trump read the letter and immediately accepted the invitation, saying it would an “honour” to visit the “fantastic” country.
He then called Charles “a beautiful man, a wonderful man”.
The King’s letter – which Trump showed to reporters – read: “Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom.
“As you will know this is unprecedented by a US President. That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content.
“In so doing, working together, I know we will further enhance the special relationship between our two countries of which we are both so proud.”
The US president is known to have a bit of a soft spot for British pageantry.
When he travelled to the UK in July 2018 for an official trip – not quite a state visit – Trump had tea with the late Queen even as mass protests broke out across London over his presence in the UK.
The following year, he was treated to a state dinner with a formal banquet at Buckingham Palace and an intimate tea with Charles at Clarence House, followed by an even more formal state banquet.
When the Queen died, Trump released a statement praising her “generous friendship, great wisdom and wonderful sense of humour”.
Meanwhile, Melania claims she still exchanges letters with Charles.
