King Charles has begun his historic trip to the United States, which marks the first state visit to the country by a British monarch since 2007, just days after a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
According to HELLO!'s royal contributor Tracy Schaverien, this should help the royals and the US President Donald Trump maintain their "special relationship" at this "precarious time."
"The royal family's brand of soft diplomacy has rarely been more crucial than at this precarious time for relations between the US and the UK," Tracy Schaverien said. "Donald Trump has made no secret of his disapproval of our Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, after his refusal to allow British forces to join the offensive action in Iran.
"However it's also no secret how much the President admires our royal family and the King has an important role to play in keeping the 'special relationship' between our countries on track. While protocol dictates that he can't get involved in political debates, he is skilled at turning on the royal charm while remaining politically neutral."
Trump previously boasted that he had "automatic chemistry" with the late Queen Elizabeth II, and his fascination with the royals is thought to stem from his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
"It goes right back to his really early days when his Scottish mother spent hours in front of the TV watching the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. It's a really strong childhood memory for Trump, and he remembers it well and how absolutely fascinated and enthralled his mother was with royalty, and some of that rubbed off on him," David Charter, author of Royal Audience: 70 Years, 13 Presidents — One Queen's Special Relationship with America, tells HELLO!.
Despite being described as a "huge royalist", Trump has made a handful of both complimentary and controversial comments about the royal family...
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© Getty ImagesThe late Queen and Donald Trump pictured in 2019
Queen Elizabeth II
Mr Trump has often spoken of his bond with Elizabeth II, saying: "I really got to know her because I sat with her many times and we had automatic chemistry, you will understand that feeling."
When the monarch died in September 2022, he released a statement in tribute, saying that he and his wife would "always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty's generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humour".
He added: "What a grand and beautiful lady she was - there was nobody like her!"
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© Getty ImagesHarry did not directly talk to Donald Trump during his first state visit to the UK in 2019
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The now-47th American president has been publicly critical of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in the US with their children, and warned Harry could face consequences if he lied about taking drugs on his US visa application. He also lambasted the King's younger son and Meghan, accusing them of treating the late Queen "very disrespectfully".
But he appeared to rule out deporting Harry, saying: "I'll leave him alone" and adding: "He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible."
Meghan previously labelled Mr Trump "divisive" and a "misogynist".
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© Getty ImagesThen Prince Charles pictured with the President in June 2019
King Charles
Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed the President a letter from the King inviting him for a second state visit during his visit to the White House in February.
Reacting to the letter, Mr Trump said of Charles: "He's a beautiful man, a wonderful man and we appreciate – I've known him, gotten to know him very well, actually, first term and now second term."
The President and the King may have opposing views on climate change, but during his previous visit to the UK in 2019, Mr Trump said of then-Prince Charles: "He is really into climate change and I think that's great. What he really wants and what he really feels warmly about is the future. He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate, as opposed to a disaster, and I agree."
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© Getty ImagesMr Trump met Prince William in Paris in December 2024
The Prince of Wales
When Mr Trump met the Prince of Wales in Paris in 2024 after the ceremonial reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, he remarked on William that he was "very handsome" and "some people look better in person".
As they met at the residence of the British ambassador in the French capital, the President said of the Prince: "He's doing a fantastic job."
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© GettyKate attended the US state visit in 2019
The Princess of Wales
After meeting with Prince William in Paris in 2024, Mr Trump told the New York Post that the royal shared health updates on King Charles and Kate.
"I asked him about his wife and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad," Mr Trump said at the time.
But the former businessman's posts on X (formerly Twitter) about the Princess in the wake of French Closer publishing paparazzi photographs of the then Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless on a private holiday in 2012 remain on his public profile.
He tweeted at the time: "Kate Middleton is great - but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude - only herself to blame."
And then added: "Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!"
The Prince and Princess were awarded £92,000 in damages in 2017 following a lawsuit against the magazine.
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© John Stillwell - PA ImagesMr Trump reportedly pursued Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales
Mr Trump reportedly used to bombard Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace with massive bouquets, according to broadcaster Selina Scott, who said he saw the Princess as "the ultimate trophy wife".
In a Howard Stern radio interview recorded just months after the Princess died in 1997, Mr Trump also branded her "beautiful" but "crazy".
However, in recent years he has denied pursuing Diana romantically. In an interview with Piers Morgan in 2016, he said: "I did respect her, but no interest from that standpoint. But I did meet her once, and I thought she was lovely."
