The British sovereign, speaking to Congress during his visit to the United States, calls for support from NATO and Ukraine. Controversy over the words of the London ambassador
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
LONDON – Mission impossible, mission accomplished: the magic of the Crown, embodied by King Charles, tamed Donald Trump’s animal spirits and restored luster and cement to a special relationship that had suffered more than one blow. A very difficult exercise, that of British sovereign visiting the United Stateswhich resulted in the desired outcome.
How delicate the stakes were could be seen on Carlo’s face, while Trump gave his welcome speech on the White House lawn: the sovereign looked at the president with an air that was sometimes worried, other times with a smile somewhere between ironic and incredulous. But for once The Donald did not go off the rails and launched into a heartfelt paean of the historical bond between America and Great Britain: no mention of the recent disagreements with Prime Minister Keir Starmerwhich had brought him to the threshold of insult and contempt, no mention of the disagreements over Iran or the Falklands.
Instead, Trump proclaimed that “Americans have no closer friends than the British” and praised a common civilization founded on freedom. Behind the turn, his fascination for the royal family which, as he recalled, comes from his Scottish mother: she, she said, was glued to the TV watching the royals and “had a crush” on the young Prince Charles. It wasn’t the only joke that brought a smile to the king’s face as he sought Camilla’s gaze behind the president’s back: Trump called him “a very elegant man” who “will be the envy of everyone with that beautiful accent of his.”
In conclusion, Trump said, “an understanding of our nations’ unique bond and role in history is the essence of our special relationship, and we hope it will always remain that way.” All is forgiven, Sir Keir: and the relief could also be seen on Carlo’s face, as he looked out from the balcony of the White House and enjoyed the military parade, amidst fanfares and drum rolls. The king and president then headed inside to the Oval Office, where they held a one-on-one meeting which, out of further caution, took place away from cameras or microphones.
A spirit of reconciliation after the brawls, with a view to the long distance, which also informed the historic speech delivered by the king before the assembled Houses of Congress. Even if Carlo recalled that “we can perhaps agree that we do not always get along”, and that “ours is a partnership born out of dispute”, nevertheless the foundations of the “democratic, legal and social traditions” of the two countries are such that “From time to time our two nations have always found ways to come together again”: this is why the king defined the history of the Anglo-American relationship as one of “reconciliation and renewal”, which gave rise to “one of the greatest alliances in human history”.
Carlo focused above all on shared values, which must be defended in these difficult moments at a national and international level, something that is “crucial for freedom and equality”. A veiled reminder, perhaps, of that global responsibility that Trump seems to have put aside: Indeed the king recalled the importance of NATO, support for Ukraine and the American military presence in Europealso noting that defense, intelligence and security ties between Britain and the United States “are measured not in years, but in decades.” And he ended by warning that if America’s words carry weight, its actions carry even more. Soft reproaches which were then tempered in the toasts at the dinner at the White House, which concluded the “political” part of Carlo’s visit.
What created embarrassment, however, was Christian Turner, the British ambassador to Washingtonthe one it replaced Lord Mandelson, ousted for the Epstein case: in a meeting months ago with students, it turned out, the representative from London let it slip that the US’s only special relationship is “probably with Israel” and that it is “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “touched no one” in America. The Foreign Office immediately dissociated itself: “These were private and informal comments made to a group of high school students at the beginning of February: they do not in any way reflect the government’s position.” AND now in London they say that the new ambassador also risks his job.
