The Royal Family has played a big role in President Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom. Craig Prescott, author of “Modern Monarchy,” explains how the U.K. government uses the Royals as leverage.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
So how does the U.K. government use the royal family to achieve their goals? We’ve called Craig Prescott, who teaches constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London and is the author of the book “Modern Monarchy.” Welcome to the program.
CRAIG PRESCOTT: Hello. Thank you for having me.
INSKEEP: I’m thinking about the mechanics of this. Of course, I watch television programs like “The Crown,” (laughter) so I’m aware of the regular meetings between the prime minister of the day and whoever the monarch is. I assume that the royal family has an idea of what the government’s objectives are. And that informs gestures like King Charles’ letter to President Trump earlier this year, which said in substance, hey, let’s get together, talk about issues of interest and maybe talk about a future state visit. Is that right?
PRESCOTT: Yes, very much. You know, that was done on government advice. The idea of having a state visit is something that would’ve come from the government and then discussed with Buckingham Palace. And, you know, this feeds into particular features of the program of the state visit today where, you know, there’s features of this which are of mutual interest to the king and the president. And, you know, all this gets put into the part of sort of what the state visit is, what shape it takes and what the government wishes to get out of it.
INSKEEP: Isn’t King Charles more open about his political opinions than his mother was?
PRESCOTT: I think there’s a little bit of a sense of that, yes. Like, we know his background, and we know his history as Prince of Wales. And he was more outspoken politically as Prince of Wales than his mother was as queen. And there’s a sense that perhaps he’s carried that on as king to a lesser extent.
But if you think about his statements on Ukraine, what he’s doing is reinforcing the sort of pretty strong consensus in the U.K. that Ukraine must be supported, and any agreement or peace deal between Ukraine and Russia must be acceptable to the Ukrainians. And in the absence of that, the U.K. will support Ukraine. And the king’s statements are all wholly consistent with that. So perhaps he’s political but not party political. And that’s the one thing the monarch must never be.
INSKEEP: Oh, this is very interesting. So if the king speaks out on something, he is likely speaking for something that is overwhelmingly popular in the U.K. as opposed to some divisive opinion.
PRESCOTT: Yes, exactly that. It’s sort of, in a sense, the role of the monarchy is to reflect where we are as a country. And in terms of politics, the king does have a role in doing that in a subtle way.
INSKEEP: Does he have a subtle opportunity, then, during all of this time with the president to get across messages directly to the president that the U.K. government would like Trump to hear?
PRESCOTT: Yes, absolutely. You know, it could be on Ukraine. It could be on the big tech deal that has been announced this morning.
INSKEEP: Is there a feeling in the U.K. that your country will get a better deal out of the president on issues of substance, like war and peace diplomacy, trade, if he is flattered by a big public celebration which he loves?
PRESCOTT: I think there’s a sense of that, yes. The U.K. is particularly good at, you know, the ceremonial occasions. We have a particular history of doing it. And, you know, this is something that President Trump seems to appreciate. Also, perhaps because of his mother being Scottish, and she was a very big supporter of the royal family, President Trump seems to have an affinity with the royal family. He seems interested in it. And so, you know, these are particular cards that the U.K. can play that perhaps other countries can’t or they can’t in the same way. And, you know, so I think it’s the U.K. trying to maximize the advantages it has with this particular relationship.
INSKEEP: Craig Prescott is the author of “Modern Monarchy.” Thanks so much.
PRESCOTT: You’re welcome.
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