A royal expert has issued a warning to King Charles III ahead of his U.S. state visit.
The 77-year-old monarch and Queen Camilla, 78, are set to make a state visit to the U.S. between April 27 and April 30, where they’ll be welcomed by Trump, 79, and First Lady, Melania Trump, 55. This marks Charles‘s first visit to the U.S. as a reigning monarch and the first state visit by a British Monarch since the late Queen Elizabeth was hosted by George Bush in May 2007.
The trip follows an invitation from Trump and coincides with the 250th anniversary of American independence. It includes stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Virginia. While the King and Queen’s schedule is packed with several celebratory engagements, Charles will likely have his hands full acting as “peace maker,” amid tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who worked with Charles between 2004 and 2011, detailed what he believes the monarch’s top priorities are ahead of the state visit meeting with Trump.
Harrold told The Express US, “One of his biggest priorities will be to strengthen ties between the U.S and U.K. I would say they have dipped recently, and that is very clear.”
However, the royal insider advised that Charles needs to tread carefully. He explained, “The King is very diplomatic and will go there and try to mend these ties.
“Donald Trump will be very vocal about the relationship, but the King can’t get involved in these discussions; he will have to have a poker face and be careful how he deals with it.”
Harrold continued to detail how he thinks Charles will operate during the state visit, adding, “He is a master when it comes to the etiquette and decorum that goes with these trips.”
He added, “His biggest focus will be to be the middleman and mend the relationship between Keir Starmer and Trump, and heal the rifts that have formed.”
Harrold concluded, “This is a defining trip for the King; he hasn’t had one in recent times where two leaders aren’t on the best of terms, and he is in as the peace maker.
“I don’t think Queen Elizabeth II ever had to do anything quite like this, but Charles is a good peacemaker; he is good at conversation, he is good at de-escalating things, so I believe he is the best man for the job.”
Trump and Starmer have been at odds with each other since the U.S. and Israel waged war on Iran in late February.
Starmer said he is “not going to yield” to pressure from Trump to join the conflict. It comes after Trump told Sky News that when the U.S. asked the U.K. for help, “they were not there.”
Trump also suggested the tariff agreement with the U.K., reached last year, can “always be changed.”
Earlier in the war, Starmer said he “stands by” his initial decision not to allow the U.S. to use British bases to attack Iran.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Trump said he was “very disappointed” by this, adding that Starmer “took far too long” to change his mind to allow them to use bases including the Chagos Islands.
In his statement to the Commons in early March, Starmer said, “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes. But it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest, and I stand by it.”
Harrold has continued to weigh in on Charles’ trip. He doesn’t just think Trump will be vocal during Charles’ state visit; he believes the president will break royal protocol.
Action Network has analyzed the latest odds that Trump will once again break royal protocol, reporting that the likelihood is -1010, which implies a 91% chance.
Ahead of the visit, Harrold has urged the president to refrain from touching the monarch, something he did during his last visit, and to work on his handshake.
Speaking exclusively to Action Network, Harrold said, “Every time Donald Trump meets the Royal Family, he manages to break protocol. It’s happened so many times now that I think we can almost guarantee there’ll be another breach of protocol.
“Most likely it’ll be Trump doing the wrong handshake or putting his hands on the King, or even dare I say hugging a member of the family. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens this time.
“My advice to the Trumps would be to look, but don’t touch. As simple as that. Look, smile, be gracious, but please do not touch. Leave the King alone.”
Harrold noted that Trump and Melania don’t need to bow or curtsy as they are not British, but he added, “The President could do with working on his handshake, dignifying it a bit.”
The royal insider advised, “It should be two or three pumps with your hands to the side, not too strong, not overpowering, not too limp – and make sure there is eye contact.”
Harrold added that conversation is also “key for these kinds of meetings.” He continued, “Trump should avoid asking anything too personal, for example, he shouldn’t ask about any royal drama.
“And it’s also vital that anything they do discuss is kept confidential and not repeated. There have been previous incidents where the President has shared details of his personal letters with the King, and this would not have gone down well at the Palace.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
