King Charles bombshell as his former aide says US state visit should not go ahead | Royal | News
King Charles’ former aide urges him to postpone US visit (Image: Getty)
King Charles’s state visit to the US should be postponed as long as America is still at war with Iran, a former top aide to the monarch has said. Sir Peter Westmacott, the former British ambassador to America and former assistant private secretary to the King, said a visit to the US in the middle of the Iran war could be “problematic” amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
The King and Queen are expected to travel across the pond at the end of next month to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. But the reported state visit, although not yet confirmed, has been condemned by many in the wake of recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
One of those skeptical about the visit is Sir Peter, who served as British ambassador in Washington DC between 2012 and 2016.
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The King and Queen are reportedly planning to visit America next month (Image: Getty)
He also served as the British Ambassador to Türkiye between 2002 and 2006, and as the Ambassador to France between 2007 and 2011.
The senior British diplomat served as deputy private secretary to Charles between 1990 and 1993, when he was Prince of Wales.
The 75-year-old said the Government had a “duty to protect the monarchy in such a situation” and a “duty to reflect public opinion in this country”.
he said TimesThe Royals podcast: “Personally, I think it’s problematic right now with this war going on.
“The United States government is waging a war that the British government initially thought was clearly illegal.”
He continued: “I imagine that both the Prime Minister and the palace will be asking themselves: ‘What do the British public really think about this? How will a state visit to the USA be perceived, how will it be felt now?’
Most Britons do not want US state visit to go ahead (Image: YouGov)
“Is this an indication that the King…approves of the actions of the president of the United States?” “This should be a topic for discussion as this continues.”
Almost half of Britons oppose a US state visit, a new poll has found.
The latest poll by YouGov showed that almost half (46%) of those surveyed thought the official visit should be cancelled. Another 36% said they should continue, while 18% voted I don’t know. The survey was conducted on 9 May among 12,002 British adults.
The British diplomat suggested that his visit to the USA should be postponed rather than canceled in order to avoid any conflict between England and the USA.
He explained: “There are various ways to deal with these things. You might say, ‘This is absolutely critical, we’re dying to do it, but the timing just isn’t working.’
“Postponement is something quite different from cancellation as a political gesture; it is a statesmanlike way of handling the matter. This is too important a relationship for us to risk antagonizing a somewhat thin-skinned president.”
He also described some of the US actions in the conflict as “war crimes” and said: “The sinking of that ship [Iris Dena] To be unarmed off the coast of Sri Lanka, to have a girls’ school bombed because the United States government didn’t target properly, that’s pretty scary. “This is a war crime issue.”
According to the newspaper, Downing Street declined to comment, saying the visit had not yet been announced.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “All state visits are on the advice of the Government.”
