President Donald Trump’s boast that King Charles backs him wholeheartedly on Iran has been blown up by Buckingham Palace.
At the White House state dinner on Tuesday evening, Trump, 79, delivered a part-scripted, part freewheeling speech. He congratulated the king on his speech to Congress, patted himself on the back for his real estate chops, gave a shout-out to Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, and declared victory over Iran.
After claiming that the U.S. had “militarily defeated” Iran, the president dropped Charles into it. “We are never going to let that opponent ever—Charles agrees with me, even more than I do—we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Early on Wednesday morning, Buckingham Palace went into clean-up mode, releasing a statement about Trump’s remarks. A spokesperson told the BBC: “The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”
The statement was a hasty attempt to suggest that the king did not offer his personal opinion, but rather reflected the U.K. government’s established policy. The statement promotes neutrality and avoids endorsing Trump’s position.
The king’s visit, which ends on Thursday, April 30, was ostensibly one to mark America’s 250th birthday. However, commentators and insiders have framed it as an attempt to fix the ailing “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K.
That fraying of relations was largely down to the U.K.’s reluctance to back Trump in his war on Iran. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was caught in the middle of the issue, earning stern public rebukes from Trump.
But the well-timed charm offensive from the royals appears to have worked, at least in the short term. “Americans have had no closer friends than the British,” Trump said on Tuesday. “We speak the same language, we hold the same values, and together, our warriors have defended the same extraordinary civilization under twin banners of red, white, and blue.”
He said the two countries share a “cherished friendship” and that “nobody fought better than us.”
King Charles even managed to squeeze in a mention of Starmer during his address to Congress. “As my prime minister said last month, ‘Ours is an indispensable partnership,’” he said.
“‘We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last 80 years. Instead, we must build on it.’”
The monarch also made pointed references to Ukraine and NATO during the address. “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more,” he said, in what read like a veiled plea to Trump.
Trump appears to have largely abandoned his attempts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. In response, King Charles urged “unyielding resolve” in the cause of “Ukraine and her most courageous people” in order to “secure a truly just and lasting peace.”
He also touched on Trump’s repeated attacks against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance which the president has poured scorn on for its members’ failure to help with “Operation Epic Fury.”
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” he ranted on Truth Social earlier this month.
Charles was keen to spell out the importance of the alliance, of which the U.S. is a founding member.
“The commitment and expertise of the United States armed forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each other’s defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries,” he said.
On Tuesday, Trump tried to use Iran’s nuclear capabilities to justify his war after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tehran was “humiliating” the U.S.
Trump responded on Truth Social, claiming that Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” Merz, leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, had criticized the apparent lack of strategy and the floundering negotiations rather than backing Iran.
Trump used a similar playbook against the pope after Leo XIV criticized the war. “The pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he declared. In fact, the pontiff has advocated heavily for nuclear non-proliferation.
Trump was clearly touched by the royal visit, saying he was “honored” to host the royals, but the charm soon wore off, and he was up to his old tricks again on Truth Social. Early on Wednesday morning, nukes were on his mind again.
“They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” he said of Iran in a Truth Social post that also contained an AI-generated image of himself holding a rifle, above the written message: “No More Mr. Nice Guy!”
