Donald Trump is famously a fan of the British royal family, which has long given the United Kingdom an ace-in-the-hole in international relations. Is Trump once again threatening economic retaliation? Interfering in domestic politics? Throwing his weight around militarily?
Simply throw a King, Queen, or Prince at him for a couple of hours in a white tie dinner in some creaking and moldy old castle, and he’ll soon remember where his priorities lie. But, just as the United Kingdom can give this “honor”, they can also take it away.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to conduct a royal tour of the United States in the spring, which would involve a state visit to the White House and the exact kind of glitzy aristocratic ball Trump adores. The United Kingdom (and most of the rest of Europe) is currently simmering over Trump’s repeated threats to invade Greenland, combined with ongoing tariff threats, and his opposition to NATO.
Now, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing domestic pressure to officially cancel the King and Queen’s trip in retaliation. For Trump, that means no extravagant dinner, so hobnobbing with the ultimate in blue bloods, and absolutely zero stunning ballgowns.
We kid, but all this is very serious for the United Kingdom. Since Brexit and its departure from the European Union, it’s become heavily reliant on trade with the United States. Trump detonating that relationship would slightly harm the US, but could tip the UK into full blown recession.
Trump knows it and British politicians know it, which is why we get the cringeworthy sight of (at least theoretically) left-wing and progressive Labour politicians conducting some extremely thorough brown-nosing of an administration they’d ordinarily despise.
Who can predict what Trump would do?
But if the UK did cancel the King and Queen’s trip, they’d be rolling the dice with an unpredictable outcome. They presumably hope that this threat may make Trump walk back some of these threats and play nice.
Anyone who knows Trump should be aware that the exact opposite may happen. If he feels he’s being ‘punished’ by a smaller country, he may decide that it’s time for a stern economic spanking to put them in their place.
But, all told, the absolute best outcome for the UK is to get King Charles and Trump in the same room for half an hour or so. Trump is clearly star-struck by royalty, and the King is well aware that the true purpose of the trip is to butter up Trump with flattery. Ye,s it’s humiliating, but the political situation is such that even a King must kneel, think of England, and brownnose the heck out of Trump.
Published: Jan 29, 2026 05:20 am