The King’s Mission: Mending Burning Bridges

By Isabel Gleave (Y12)

The British monarchy has encountered intense scrutiny in recent years. From criticisms surrounding the sizeable sovereign grant (£132.1 million as of 2025-26), to the ignominy of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, it has felt as if the monarchy was experiencing an erosion of its status and power in Great Britain. Yet, King Charles’ state visit to the United States (27^th to 30^th April) proved a masterclass in the virtues of ‘soft’ power.

This state visit came with inordinately high aims that many deemed insurmountable. King Charles was tasked with attempting to repair the ‘special relationship’ which, in recent months, has been undermined as a result of political tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (most recently regarding the US-Iran war). While President Trump has always displayed a certain affection for the monarchy (often remarking upon his Scottish roots), his volatile and capricious tendencies led to a sense of skepticism as to whether the King could accomplish these ambitious targets.

However, seemingly against all odds, King Charles delivered a stellar demonstration in silent diplomacy and the power of influence. From his gifting of a bell from the submarine H.M.S Trump to the powerful speech filled with subtle critiques of the Trump administration, which he presented to Congress, both he and the Queen navigated the high-stakes trip with skill and tact. In the aforementioned speech to Congress, the King highlighted the importance of the US-UK relationship while also reminding members of the significance of the NATO alliance, specifically referencing the response to the 9/11 crisis. In recent months, President Trump has portrayed NATO as a ‘paper tiger’ of sorts and expressed his displeasure after NATO did not offer support in the ongoing US-Iran war. The King endorsed NATO in an unconfrontational manner in an impactful yet subtle way, stating that they have responded to global crises “together, as our people have done for more than a century”. These veiled critiques, however, did not dampen the mood of President Trump, who at the end of the visit remarked that King Charles was “the greatest king in my book.”, and throughout the visit seemed swept up in the euphoria and glamour of it all, so much so that in a break from his usual antics he stuck (for the most part) to the script!

This trip was not entirely without its tribulations; while it seems the ‘special relationship’ has been saved from a complete breakdown of relations (for now), crossing borders did not stop the ever-ticking time bomb of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s scandals from trailing their majesties. There were calls by some, including Congressman Ro Khanna, for the King and Queen to meet with a selection of Epstein’s victims as a symbol of solidarity and accountability in the wake of former Prince Andrew’s inclusion in the infamous Epstein files (appearing in the Epstein files, however, is not proof of guilt). Yet the King and Queen decided not to talk to any survivors nor mention it at any point during the trip, other than a broad remark made by King Charles in his speech to Congress in which he stated that countries must support “victims of some of the ills that so tragically exist in both our societies,” which seems superficial and inadequate in light of the situation.

Thus, the state visit was largely an unforeseen and remarkable success, though mired at points by controversies. Many critics of the monarchy have expressed their pleasant surprise at its success, including British republican Alistair Campbell, who posted, “Excellent speech by King Charles… Loved the confidence in British and European values.” Overall, this trip has once again reinforced the importance of soft power in diplomacy to not only the British Parliament and people, but also to observers across the globe.