King Charles III Visits the United States in a Context of Tensions

The challenge awaiting King Charles III during his upcoming visit to the United States next week is, as always, to live up to the example set by his mother.

The late Queen Elizabeth II charmed Congress in 1991 with a speech celebrating the common democratic traditions of the United Kingdom and the United States, referencing Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and highlighting the deep ties between the two nations. These themes will also be at the forefront of King Charles’s agenda as he celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States and seeks to ease tensions related to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s refusal to support President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, according to Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University in Texas.

“We must always make the distinction between the government of the United Kingdom and the kings and queens of Great Britain, who always come to try to give a good impression,” said Mr. Brinkley to the Associated Press. “Politics come and go, prime ministers and presidents come and go, but there is something deeper in the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.”

Charles and Queen Camilla will begin their four-day trip on Monday, where they will have tea with President and First Lady Melania Trump, before visiting the White House apiary to honor the king’s commitment to environmental causes. The official arrival ceremony will take place on Tuesday with a 21-gun salute, fanfare playing the national anthems of both countries, and a contingent of American troops parading before the king. The ceremonies will be followed by a meeting between President Trump and King Charles.

Behind the pageantry and spectacle is a carefully orchestrated diplomatic event, like all royal visits, at the request of the British government. Mr. Starmer resisted pressure to cancel the visit after Mr. Trump downplayed British army sacrifices in Afghanistan and personally criticized him for not supporting the United States in Iran.

Despite these tensions, Mr. Trump has continued to speak warmly of King Charles.

“History has shown that President Trump really strives to make a good impression whenever he deals with the British royalty,” Brinkley said. “And I’m sure it will be the same this time too.”

Since 1939, when King George VI became the first British monarch to visit the former colony, there has been a special excitement whenever the royal family travels to the United States.

The first visit took place while World War II loomed over Europe. The royal family traveled up the East Coast and partook in a “picnic” at President Roosevelt’s private residence in Hyde Park, New York. “The king tasted a hot dog and asked for more,” reported The New York Times.

But the highlight was when the royal family visited Mount Vernon to lay a wreath at George Washington’s grave, the first US president. This gesture showed their respect at a time marked by isolationism.

“People saw the inevitable coming and knew that it would be crucial for the United States and Britain to remain strong to fight against Hitler,” said Barbara Perry, a presidential expert at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

Fraternizing over hot dogs had broader implications, helping the royal family forge connections with the public as well as its leaders. After the outbreak of war in September 1939, Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI and mother of the future Elizabeth II, wrote to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to express how moved she was by the letters from Americans sending small sums of money to support the British forces.

“Sometimes, during these terrible months, we felt rather alone in our fight against evil, but I can honestly say that our hearts have been comforted knowing that our American friends understand why we are fighting,” she wrote.

Consolidating relationships, Queen Elizabeth II made four state visits to the United States during her 70-year reign. She helped President Gerald R. Ford celebrate the bicentennial of the United States in 1976 and met with President George W. Bush in 2007 while British and American forces were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These trips aimed to ease tensions and remind both parties of their common bonds.

King Charles’s visit will be no exception. It will include a commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a ceremony honoring fallen soldiers, and an event attended by Queen Camilla to mark the 100th anniversary of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories.

The royal family will not meet with Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, despite calls for the king to address his brother’s ties to the convicted sex offender. It is also not expected for Charles to meet his son, Prince Harry, who has been critical of the monarchy since stepping back from his royal duties and moving to California.

Charles’s speech before a joint session of Congress offers an opportunity to convey the message that long-term friendship is more important than temporary disputes.