Can the visit of the British King to the United States repai

King Charles III and Queen Camilla of England will begin a four-day state visit to the United States on April 27th. Buckingham Palace stated that this visit aims to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence from Britain.

 

However, recent analysis suggests that the timing of this visit to the United States is intriguing - at a time when the relationship between the UK and the US is tense due to the Iran conflict, the visit of the British king has been given a special mission of "repairing relations".

 

 

 

Screenshot of Reuters website report

 

Royal soft power: the 'last trump card' to bridge the rift

 

Bloomberg's report on April 26th quoted Philip Dickinson, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council's Transatlantic Security Initiative and former British diplomat, as saying that this may have the potential to reset the relationship between the UK and the US. He said that this is the last 'trump card' that the UK can play, but as we can see, its effectiveness is diminishing.

 

 

 

Screenshot of Bloomberg website report

 

The Congressional Hill reported on the same day that a British official emphasized the soft power possessed by the British royal family, which can inject unique charm and interactive vitality into diplomatic relations.

 

According to Time magazine, this is Charles III's first state visit to the United States since his accession to the throne. The report cites the view of the Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, Evey Aspinor, that given the White House's strong affection for the British royal family, this visit is intended to provide a unique opportunity to repair the relationship at a time when there is a rift in bilateral relations.

 

 

 

Screenshot of Time magazine website report

 

However, British scholar Francesca Jackson noticed that Buckingham Palace emphasized during the announcement of the visit that the king was "advised by the government" and invited by the US president. This wording is meaningful, indicating that the decision to visit the United States was initiated by the British government, and the royal family is only the executor rather than the decision-maker.

 

The source of the rift: from policy differences in the Middle East to pressure from multiple fields

 

The root cause of the tense relationship between Britain and the United States lies in the recent military actions taken by the United States against Iran. British Prime Minister Stammer publicly stated that 'this is not our war' and refused to allow the US military to launch an 'offensive strike' on Iran using the Diego Garcia base, which has sparked strong dissatisfaction from US President Trump. Trump criticized Stamer on social media as' not Winston Churchill 'and even referred to British warships as' toys'.

 

This diplomatic friction immediately evolved into multi-faceted pressure from the United States on Britain. In the field of economy and trade, on April 15th, Trump publicly criticized the current Anglo American trade agreement for being "overly biased towards the UK" and threatened to renegotiate, particularly imposing tariffs on British exports of cars, aluminum, and steel products to the US; On April 24th, he also warned that if the UK did not cancel the digital services tax, the US would impose retaliatory tariffs.

 

On the issue of security and sovereignty, according to Reuters on April 24th, the US Department of Defense is considering punitive measures including "withdrawing US sovereignty support for the Falkland Islands (known as the Falkland Islands by Argentina), which are disputed by the UK and Argentina. This proposal, which is considered a serious diplomatic provocation by British and American media, has escalated the tension in the relationship between the two countries.

 

 

 

Screenshot of Reuters website report

 

UK domestic rebound: concerns and public opinion reversal

 

Against the backdrop of continued pressure from the United States, Charles III's visit to the United States has sparked strong concerns within the UK.

 

Time magazine reported that 29 members of the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK have jointly called on Prime Minister Stamer to cancel the king's visit to the United States, citing "the United States continues to wage war and repeatedly belittles allies such as Britain, and has not even been consulted in its decision-making to go to war". The leader of the party, Ed Davy, said, 'We cannot let this unreliable and insecure (US) president continue to insult our country.'.

 

 

 

Screenshot of Time magazine website report

 

Green Party leader Zack Polanski also raised serious concerns. He believes that the king should not have any contact with the United States at this moment.

 

The British public opinion is equally intolerant towards this. A public opinion poll conducted in March this year showed that nearly half of the British people opposed this visit itinerary; The latest poll shows that over 80% of British people hold a negative view of the US government.

 

Symbolism and Reality: What is the utility of this visit?

 

Against the backdrop of decades of tense "special relations" among transatlantic allies, it remains to be seen how much impact the visit of the British king can have.

 

German media believes that Charles III had no authority to negotiate treaties, formulate policies, or freely express opinions on political issues, and his responsibilities were limited to ceremonial matters.

 

The Hill newspaper quoted Raheem Kassam, the chief advisor to former leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, as saying that the symbolic significance of this trip is greater than its substantive effect. Although the apparent harmony between the two countries may add color to the front pages of some newspapers, deep-seated contradictions still exist and may even worsen further.

 

 

 

Screenshot of the Congressional Hill website report

 

Holmes, an American journalist who has been reporting on the British royal family for a long time, said that Charles III plans to give a speech to the joint session of the US Congress during his visit, and he may speak out for British interests in a more subtle way. Holmes said, "The current international political situation is complex, and it would be surprising if he didn't take this opportunity to advance British interests in some way

 

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Professor Garrett Martin from American University in Washington as saying that this visit is unlikely to produce immediate results. The current friction issues between the United States and the United Kingdom are mostly deep-rooted problems that cannot be easily resolved.

 

 

 

Screenshot of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation website report

 

Source | Global News Center

 

Writing | Li Lin

 

Sign off | Wang Kunpeng

 

Producer | Liu Yiyao

 

(Editor in charge: Ma Changyan)