King Charles’ cordial relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump could come back to haunt him, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just put him on the spot over Canada’s future. The two met Monday at Sandringham House, and while Buckingham Palace tried to downplay it as a routine meeting, Trudeau seemingly made it clear that the stakes were high.
“As always, we will discuss matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians, and I can tell you that nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation,” Trudeau said at a press conference before the meeting as per CBC, suggesting that he meant business when he came to visit the monarch.
Trudeau’s statement also appeared to be a direct shot at King Charles’ pal, Trump. For months, Trump has been floating the idea that Canada should become America’s 51st state, even going as far as to call the country “not viable” without U.S. trade. Interestingly, King Charles, who, by the way, is Canada’s head of state, hasn’t said a single word about it, as though he is more keen on protecting his friendship with the U.S. leader.
This morning, the Prime Minister of Canada, @JustinTrudeau, was received in audience by The King at Sandringham House. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Rz7JelgHn8
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 3, 2025
However, Trudeau is now forcing the issue into the spotlight, and it’s painting the monarch in a bad light. The king has seemed quite happy to host Trump at Buckingham Palace and joke around with him, so his reluctance to speak up when Canada’s very sovereignty is being attacked is raising eyebrows. It’s also bad timing for King Charles, since his name got dragged after Trump’s recent live TV bullying of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
When pressed about whether he had asked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to back Canada in the face of Trump’s annexation talk, Trudeau kept things diplomatic by saying, “[I know] our allies will continue to be there to count on Canada and defend Canada in our strong sense of identity and independence.”
As for Starmer, he notably dodged the question entirely. During a White House press conference last week, a journalist asked whether King Charles had voiced any concern about Trump’s statements. Starmer deflected, and even accused the reporter of trying to create drama where none existed.
“We’re the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today. But we didn’t discuss Canada,” Starmer said. Trump, who was also present, quickly cut him off by saying, “That’s enough.”
🧭🇪🇺🇺🇦🇬🇧🇫🇷🇵🇱🇸🇪🇨🇿🇹🇷(!)🇳🇴🇩🇰🇩🇪🇳🇱🇮🇹🇫🇮🇷🇴🇪🇸🇨🇦(!)🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹(📹)
— 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐀 | 🇪🇺🇫🇷🇵🇱🇺🇦 (@tweet4Anna_NAFO) March 2, 2025
We may be witnessing the birth of a new Europe. And, we owe it to one man: president Zelenskyy. He showed the whole world Trump's submission to Putin. pic.twitter.com/t7dKdM1rDL
It’s clear that Trudeau isn’t backing down, and neither is Canada’s government. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly recently warned European leaders that Trump’s threats should be taken seriously, calling Canada the “canary in the coal mine.” When Trump slapped tariffs on the European Union, Joly reminded them, “I told you.”
Meanwhile, Starmer’s dodging of the Canada question hasn’t gone unnoticed back home, where the opposition Liberal Democrats grilled him about it in Parliament. His response was a generic reassurance that Canada remains a “close ally” of the U.K., and a nod to Canada’s military support for Ukraine. But it was not exactly a ringing endorsement of Canada’s independence in the face of Trump’s obnoxious rhetoric.
With Trudeau now personally pressing King Charles, the monarch’s reluctance to speak out is looking worse by the day. His history with the U.S. leader — whether it’s their cozy meetings or his previous silence on Trump’s comments about NATO and other allies — is just making his position increasingly uncomfortable. So unless he makes a solid stance about the issue, his association with Trump could really come back to bite him.
Published: Mar 3, 2025 04:19 pm