Donald Trump Tells BBC King Charles’ U.S. Visit Could Repair UK Relations

President Donald Trump told the BBC that next week’s state visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla could “absolutely” help repair relations with the UK, saying: “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.”

In the same phone interview, Trump said, “I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” and added, “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man. They would absolutely be a positive.”

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The BBC reported that the King and Queen will travel to the US for a four-day visit beginning on Monday and will meet with Trump at the White House, with the King also delivering an address to Congress.

The Foreign Office said the trip would mark the 250th anniversary of US independence and would celebrate a partnership of “shared prosperity, security and history.”

The Independent echoed Trump’s remarks, quoting him again as saying, “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.”

The Times similarly reported Trump’s line, “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely, the answer is yes,” while also noting the visit begins on Monday and includes a joint meeting of Congress.

USA Today likewise framed the comments as Trump praising Charles while tensions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer persist, reporting that Trump said, “absolutely,” and “He’s fantastic.”

Alongside his praise for King Charles, Trump tied the state-visit diplomacy to his broader disputes with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the war in Iran and immigration.

The BBC reported that Trump said his relationship with Sir Keir could only “recover” if Starmer changed course on immigration, adding, “If he opened the North Sea and if his immigration policies became strong, which right now they're not, he can recover, but if he doesn't, I don't think he has a chance.”

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The BBC also quoted Trump’s view of allies’ involvement, telling the BBC: “I didn't need them at all but they should've been there. I didn't need them, obviously.”

In the same interview, Trump said, “We've wiped Iran's military out,” and described his calls for support from allies as “more of a test.”

The Times reported Trump’s explanation in similar terms, including his line that he did not need allies but saw calls for support as “more of a test,” and quoted him saying, “We’ve wiped Iran’s military out. I didn’t need anybody. I wanted to see whether or not they would be involved.”

USA Today reported that the royals’ visit comes amid tensions between Trump and Starmer over Starmer’s reluctance to get involved in the Iran war and his refusal to let the United States use British bases to launch initial attacks.

In response to Trump’s comments, Sir Keir told broadcasters, “I make my decisions based on what's in the British national interest and not what other people say or do,” and said, “That is why I took the decision that we would not be dragged into the war in Iran.”

The state visit is also being shaped by the Epstein question and by controversy around Lord Mandelson, with multiple outlets describing how these issues intersect with the royal tour.

“- Published US President Donald Trump has said next week's state visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla could help repair relations with the UK”

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The Independent reported that the King and Queen will not meet with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during their visit, citing “sources,” and said there have been repeated calls by US congressman Ro Khanna and the family of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre for a meeting with the King and Queen.

The Telegraph likewise described the Epstein question, saying Ro Khanna asked the King and Queen to meet with survivors of the paedophile during the visit, and reported that lawyers for the King and Queen said the royal couple could not meet with the survivors due to “ongoing police inquiries” in the UK.

The Telegraph also included details about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, stating he was accused by Virginia Guiffre of sexually assaulting her across three separate occasions in 2001 when she was 17, and that he denies all allegations.

The Telegraph further reported that Mr Trump criticized the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the British ambassador to the US, calling him “a really bad pick,” and said Mandelson was arrested in February after police received a tip that he was about to flee the country.

The BBC reported that in a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said Lord Mandelson was “a really bad pick” but that the prime minister had “plenty of time to recover,” and Trump clarified to the BBC that his opinion was contingent on Starmer changing course.

People reported that the visit comes amid mounting calls for Starmer's resignation and said Mandelson was “arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.”

Multiple outlets laid out the planned schedule for King Charles and Queen Camilla, describing how the trip is tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence and how it will be staged across Washington, New York, Virginia, and Bermuda.

The BBC said the King and Queen will travel to the US for a four-day visit beginning on Monday, meet with Trump at the White House, and that the King will have a private meeting with the president and also deliver an address to Congress.

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The Times reported that the King and Queen’s four-day state visit begins on Monday when Charles and Camilla arrive in Washington, and said the King will hold private talks with the president and address a joint meeting of Congress.

People reported that the royals “touch down in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 27,” kicking off a four-day visit tied to the 250th anniversary, and said Trump and First Lady Melania will welcome them informally with a private tea, a garden party and a ceremonial military review.

People also said the King will follow in his mother’s footsteps, becoming just the second-ever British monarch to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress, noting Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech at the Capitol in 1991.

The BBC said after two days in Washington DC, they will travel to New York, Virginia and Bermuda before returning to the UK, while the South China Morning Post said Charles will travel to the US with Queen Camilla and then visit Bermuda alone.

The Daily Beast described the visit as Monday through Thursday next week and said King Charles will be hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania, with festivities including a private tea with the Trumps, a garden party, and a ceremonial military review, as well as the state dinner.

While all outlets describe Trump’s praise for King Charles and the planned state visit, they frame the surrounding stakes differently—ranging from diplomacy and “special relationship” continuity to legal and political turbulence.

Fox News Digital presented the trip as “high-stakes,” saying it “could define his reign as monarch,” and quoted Susan Page asking, “The question is, that special relationship that Elizabeth helped forge [between the two nations], does it survive?”

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It also quoted Page saying, “There is no relationship more important to Great Britain than its relationship with the United States,” and said the visit comes amid “great difficulties, treacherous waters for King Charles to navigate,” including “Jeffrey Epstein has put new pressures on the future of the monarchy.”

GV Wire described the trip as a mission to shore up the future of the “special relationship” which the Iran war has plunged to its lowest point in 70 years, and quoted Nigel Sheinwald telling Reuters, “Pretty much more than any other visit, this is about the long term.”

GV Wire also said Buckingham Palace has said he will not be meeting any survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and quoted Robert Hardman saying, “He is a huge royalist,” and that Trump has “one mindset when it comes to the British government, but British monarchy is a completely separate element.”

The BBC and The Independent, by contrast, focused more directly on Trump’s phone interview comments and the immediate question of repairing relations, with The Independent reporting the comments “amid a growing rift with Sir Keir Starmer.”

The Telegraph added a legal-political layer by detailing the Epstein survivor meeting request and the “ongoing police inquiries” rationale, while also describing Mandelson’s arrest and the potential threat to Sir Keir’s premiership.