Leaked Recording Shows UK Ambassador Sir Christian Turner Says US Special Relationship Is Israel

A leaked recording of the UK ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, has put the phrase “special relationship” back at the center of Washington politics during King Charles III’s state visit to the United States.

Turner told a group of UK sixth-form students visiting the US in February that “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that is probably Israel,” according to the BBC and CNN.

Al Jazeera

In the same recording, Turner said: “‘Special relationship’ is a phrase I try not to utter because it’s quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of baggage about it,” the BBC reported.

The remarks were first reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday, shortly before King Charles III arrived at the White House during his state visit, the BBC said.

CNN described the comments as potentially overshadowing the royal visit underway in the US this week, and CBS News said the British government “has not denied their authenticity.”

The Hill reported that Turner said the US’s only “special relationship” is with Israel, not Britain, and TRT World similarly said the US’s only “special relationship” is “probably Israel.”

The controversy has also intersected with the Epstein scandal, with Turner telling students it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US, as described by the BBC and CNN.

The leaked comments emerged during a period of heightened attention on the UK-US relationship, with the BBC tying the timing to “heightened tension over the Iran war” as King Charles III arrived at the White House.

The Hill said the remarks came as King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit to Washington was underway, and it described the partnership as “under the microscope this week.”

BBC

The Hill also reported that President Trump has frequently criticized Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in recent months, particularly for not militarily backing the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and for electing not to assist in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN similarly said the leaked remarks could overshadow Charles’ state visit, which it described as underway in the US this week.

TRT World said the comments were revealed amid a four-day state visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Washington.

The Independent placed the comments in the weeks running up to the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February, quoting Turner’s line that “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States — and that is probably Israel.”

In the BBC account, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) said the comments were “private, informal comments” and “not any reflection” of the government’s position.

The leaked remarks triggered immediate reaction from prominent UK political figures and former diplomats, with the BBC reporting that former foreign secretary Jack Straw backed Turner’s assessment.

Straw told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme that Turner was “absolutely right” to say Israel has a special relationship with the US, arguing that “The United States subsidises Israel's military spending, including its spending on United States armaments, and that alone makes the relationship special,” the BBC said.

The BBC also reported that Straw was “uncomfortable” using the phrase “special relationship” during his tenure and wanted it “cosigned to the bin.”

Another former diplomat, Lord Darroch, called the leaked audio a “betrayal” and “massive breach of trust,” adding: “He'll [Sir Christian] be kicking himself for it,” according to the BBC.

The BBC said Lord Darroch responded to Turner’s Israel comments by saying it was “hard to see anyone disagreeing with any of it” because it had been “the conversation in corridors across Westminster.”

CNN described a Foreign Office spokesperson saying Turner’s remarks were “private, informal comments” and “certainly not any reflection of the UK Government’s position.”

The Guardian added that a Whitehall source said the discussion was informal and focused on students’ questions, and that it “had clearly been never intended as an on-the-record statement of government policy.”

Beyond the “special relationship” remark, Turner’s leaked comments also drew attention to the Epstein scandal and to the political standing of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The BBC said Turner remarked that it was “extraordinary” the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein had “not touched anybody” in the US, while he said it had “brought down” former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Turner’s predecessor in Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson.

CBS News

CNN similarly reported that Turner told students it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US, and by contrast said senior British figures had been “brought down” by the affair.

CNN added that Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are both under investigation by UK authorities over alleged misconduct in public office, and it said both have previously denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

The Guardian reported that Turner said the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US while it had “brought down” Mandelson and “potentially the prime minister,” and it described Turner’s remarks about Starmer being “on the ropes.”

TRT World said Turner criticized the American political system over its handling of the Epstein scandal, saying it was “extraordinary” that it “hasn't touched anybody” in the US.

CNN reported that Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California had written a letter to the King requesting an in-person meeting with Epstein survivors, and it said Buckingham Palace did not plan to accept that request during the visit.

While the core facts of Turner’s remarks were consistent across outlets, the emphasis and framing varied, especially around whether the comments were treated as a diplomatic breach, a political warning, or a broader critique of accountability.

“Britain's Ambassador to the U”

CBS News

The BBC foregrounded the UK government’s response, quoting the FCDO that the remarks were “private, informal comments” and “not any reflection of the UK government's position,” and it highlighted the “awkward timing” of the recording being made public during the royal visit.

CBS News

CNN similarly emphasized the risk of embarrassment for Downing Street and described the comments as “unusually outspoken for a diplomat,” while also focusing on the Epstein-related political fallout and the “different levels of accountability in our systems.”

The Hill framed the remarks as part of a wider scrutiny of the US-U.K. partnership during the visit, and it included President Trump’s own public praise of the “unique bond” between the countries, quoting him describing the relationship as “special.”

The Guardian, by contrast, centered on the political implications for Starmer, reporting Turner’s comments that Starmer was “on the ropes” and that “The moment I would look to is the May elections,” while also quoting the Foreign Office spokesperson’s line that the remarks were “certainly not any reflection of the UK government’s position.”

TRT World described the comments as revealed amid the “four-day state visit,” and it also highlighted Turner’s criticism of the American political system over Epstein.

Politico’s framing was more explicitly about consequences in London, stating Turner’s remarks “risk red faces back in London,” and it tied the leaked audio to months of preparation for the king’s visit.

The leaked recording has set up a chain of political and diplomatic pressures that multiple outlets tie to the remainder of the US visit and to upcoming UK political decisions.

The Hill said the king is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT, while it described President Trump’s public remarks at the White House about the “essence of our special relationship.”

CNN reported that CNN had asked the British Embassy in Washington and Turner for comment, and it described the Foreign Office spokesperson’s insistence that the remarks were private and informal.

The Guardian reported that No 10 had no immediate comment on Turner’s remarks, and it also described how Turner was appointed after the sacking of Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Guardian also reported Turner’s view that “The moment I would look to is the May elections,” and it quoted his expectation that Labour could remove Starmer if Labour does very badly.

CNN added that the King and Queen do not plan to accept a request for an in-person meeting with Epstein survivors during their visit, and it linked that to Buckingham Palace’s concern about affecting the British legal probe into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Taken together, the sources show that the immediate next steps are shaped by the state visit schedule, by the UK government’s insistence that the remarks are not policy, and by the political calendar leading to May elections.