King Charles urged to delay state visit to the US amid Donald Trump row | Royal | News
The king is expected to go to the USA in April (Image: Getty)
A senior Labor MP has called on King Charles to postpone his state visit to the US due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chairman Dame Emily Thornberry suggested that it would be “safer to delay” the visit. The historic trip has not yet been officially announced by Buckingham Palace, but King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to visit Washington and New York in April to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Dame Emily’s comments came after the US President Donald Trump He described Britain’s approach to the conflict with Iran as “appalling” and repeatedly attacked Sir Keir Starmer.
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Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today radio program on Tuesday, Dame Emily said: “If it were to go ahead it would be on a war footing and I think that’s quite difficult and the last thing we want to do is embarrass Her Majesty.”
Asked whether he was in favor of postponing the visit, he said: “I don’t know what the program will entail, but I think there needs to be very careful consideration as to whether it is appropriate to go ahead now, whether it is perhaps a limited programme, or whether it is appropriate to postpone it – but we can’t pretend there isn’t a war going on in the background.”
He added: “I suspect it would be safer to delay, but I don’t know the details.”
But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed the US state visit going ahead, saying the King represented “standards from which both Sir Keir and Mr Trump can learn”.
The king’s visit will coincide with the 250th anniversary of US independence (Image: Getty)
He said: “The relationship is between the US and the UK, not between Donald Trump and Keir Starmer.
“The King is our head of state, and he’s actually heading into a very important anniversary, the 250th anniversary of American independence.
“So I think it makes sense, and it also reminds people that there are some people who are above this diplomatic fight.
“I think the King is a huge asset to our country. He is very much loved. He represents a lot about our country (history, tradition) and standards that I think both Keir Starmer and Donald Trump could learn from.”
The king’s visit will coincide with an important anniversary for the United States. (Image: Getty)
Dame Emily’s comments follow comments from one of the monarch’s former senior aides. Sir Peter Westmacott, the former British ambassador to America and the King’s former assistant private secretary, said a visit to the US in the middle of the Iran war could be “problematic” as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.
he said TimesThe Royals podcast: “Personally I think it’s problematic at the moment with this war going on. The United States Government is waging a war that the British government clearly thought was illegal to begin with.”
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?’
“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.”
