King Charles will not meet US President Donald Trump on camera in the Oval Office during his state visit later this month. Relations between Britain and America are at an all-time low and not hosting a public meeting will keep informal talks between the two out of the headlines.
Charles and Trump will meet over a private tea on Monday, April 27, followed by a face-to-face meeting without reporters or film crews at the White House the next day.
Both Trump and Charles are expected to read prepared speeches at the White House state dinner.
Trump has publicly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s response to the US war with Iran. Trump has said that he is “not happy with the UK” and that “this is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the visit was a chance to “reaffirm” and “renew” the special relationship and “address challenges together.”
“It’s celebrating the partnership between two countries and two people.”
“This is a relationship that has survived many presidents and certainly many administrations, and we have no doubt that it will continue long into the future.”
The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Japan have recently clashed with Trump in the Oval Office.
A high-profile meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in April 2025 sparked international interest. Zelensky met with Trump in the Oval Office and the meeting resulted in a heated exchange of words.
During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office last June, Trump suggested that the D-Day anniversary was “not a happy day for you.”
In November, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was asked questions about his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during an Oval Office meeting with Trump.
In March this year, Trump joked about the Pearl Harbor attack on America by the Japanese in 1941. Sitting across from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi in the Oval Office, Trump responded when asked by a reporter why he did not warn allies before the initial strikes against Iran in February.
Trump said, “Who knows better than Japan about surprises? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
