King Charles faces mounting pressure to cancel his planned state visit to Washington in April as British politicians clash over whether the monarch should meet President Donald Trump amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to advise the King against making the trip, which would commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. The appeal comes after President Trump publicly criticized Britain as a “once great ally” and rejected British military support during the ongoing Iran conflict.
“A state visit from our King would be seen as yet another huge diplomatic coup for President Trump, so it should not be given to someone who repeatedly insults and damages our country,” Sir Ed said.
The diplomatic row erupted after the U.K. refused to allow the United States to launch initial airstrikes on Iran from British bases, though London later granted permission for “defensive” U.S. action against Iranian missile sites. The decision sparked a series of sharp rebukes from President Trump, who branded Sir Keir “not Winston Churchill” and suggested Britain wanted to “join wars after we’ve already won.”
Multiple American B-1B Lancer bombers landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire beginning March 6, followed by B-52 Stratofortresses days later, as the U.S. ramped up operations using British bases. The deployment preceded the deaths of six U.S. soldiers, who were killed when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 13 in a non-combat incident. President Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held a phone call on the evening of March 15, in which Starmer expressed condolences for the American service personnel killed in the conflict.
King Charles and Queen Camilla plan to visit Washington at the end of April, ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in July. The trip would mark a significant diplomatic moment, though Buckingham Palace has yet to officially confirm the visit.
Cabinet minister Steve Reed dismissed Sir Ed’s call to cancel the visit. “I don’t think it is for Ed Davey to decide what the King should or should not be doing,” Reed told reporters.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the trip should not become a “political event,” though she accused Sir Keir of being “too slow to protect our bases” and renewed her calls for the RAF to join defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites.
The controversy extends beyond Westminster. American political strategist Steve Schmidt, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and the Save America Movement, threatened to launch what he called a “no-holds-barred” advertising campaign if the King visits the United States. Schmidt said activists would project images onto buildings in New York City and run campaigns targeting the royal visit.
Schmidt warned that if the King visits Washington, “it will be a celebration of Donald Trump in a moment of existential crisis for American democracy.” He pledged the campaign would be “mortifying for the entire British government.”
The Save America Movement previously ran advertisements in Denmark opposing President Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland and plans to spend up to $100 million ahead of the November midterm elections. Schmidt’s warning referenced tactics used by U.K. activists during President Trump’s state visit to Britain last September 2025, when protesters projected images of him with Jeffrey Epstein onto buildings.
President Trump received a lavish welcome during that September visit, which included a state banquet at Windsor Castle. He described King Charles as “an elegant gentleman” who “represents the country so well,” displaying his well-documented affinity for British royalty.
Royal expert Jennie Bond suggested the King’s relationship with President Trump could help bridge divisions between Washington and London. She noted that the President “worships at the altar of the British monarchy,” making the royals key players in the so-called special relationship.
Bond emphasized that the King acts on government advice regarding state visits and must remain above politics, meaning he will have to choose his words carefully if the trip proceeds.
The planned visit would represent a significant diplomatic gesture during a period of strained U.S.-U.K. relations. Foreign leaders are formally invited to visit the U.K. by the monarch after recommendations from the prime minister, while invitations for the monarch to make state visits abroad are arranged through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Since ascending to the throne in September 2022, King Charles has made state visits to Germany, France, Kenya, Australia, and Samoa, among others. The potential April trip to Washington would mark one of his most politically sensitive diplomatic engagements as tensions between London and Washington continue to simmer over military cooperation in the Middle East.
