The gilded splendour of the King’s state visit to the US has a bigger political weight for the UK than was maybe anticipated when it was first planned.
Officially, it’s simply a way to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. But of course, it’s been obvious since the trip was announced at the end of March that the reality is more complex.
The King has been sent on a salvage mission.
You don’t need me to go back over the details of the Special Break-Up that’s taken place in the past couple of months.
Suffice it to say: Sir Keir Starmer has launched a few morsels of subtle, indirect criticism towards Donald Trump, while Donald Trump has devoted a jaw-dropping amount of time and effort into humiliating Sir Keir Starmer over the UK’s lack of support for the war in Iran.
In a few weeks, all the progress in the transatlantic relationship since Trump returned to office – the personalised cufflinks, the accent compliments, the crouching to pick up dropped papers – appeared to be shredded.
So, we’ve deployed the couples therapist in the shiny hat to try and patch things up.
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It’s been fascinating to watch in recent days just how different this event is to a visit from any other national leader – any other individual – on the planet.
Trump has always given the impression of someone who yearns for everything the King has: pure, innate privilege that comes not from earthly wealth, but from something as unobtainable and intangible as ancient lineage. Superiority on a constitutional scale that is granted from birth.
You can see how badly he wants to make it look like they’re mates. Perhaps this respect was best exemplified by the fact Trump was happy for his White House discussions with the monarch to take place behind closed doors, not in front of the news cameras.
The King’s speech to Congress on Tuesday went down well. A few potentially risky lines about the importance of checks and balances on power, the risks of climate change, and his respect for Nato did not generate any real backlash.
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It felt like a return to old-school diplomacy – a powerful man using his influence to politely nudge an ally in a certain direction. No madman theory, no AI slop posts, no profane abuse.
Will it work? Will the UK’s fragile relationship with the US be restored?
No. Old-school diplomacy will not work on Trump, because nothing works on Trump.
When the crumbs from the British Embassy tea party have all been swept up, the President will resume normal service and launch broadsides at Downing Street whenever the spirit takes him.
We might do well to just forget the whole reparatory aspect of the trip and just focus on the anniversary of 1776, when our countries were in the middle of a brutal war. Or would that make us too nostalgic?
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