Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan writes:
The prime minister was once known as “no drama Starmer”, but there was plenty of theatricality in how Sir Keir handed over the invitation for a state visit from King Charles.
The PM produced the letter, with its Buckingham Palace crest, and the sprawling black ink signature of King Charles, with a showman’s flourish. It may as well have been an illuminated scroll.
This was an “unprecedented” second invitation, Sir Keir said, laying on the flattery, and letting the US president open the letter like he was going to announce himself as an Oscar winner.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said Trump.
Diplomatic razzle dazzle
Sir Keir is likely to think it was a moment that went beautifully too, right down to the big royal signature.
“He is a great gentleman, a great, great gentleman. Oh, that’s – wow. Well, that is really nice. I must make sure his signature is on that. Otherwise, it’s not quite as meaningful. It is. It is and that’s quite a signature. Isn’t it beautiful?” said the US president.
“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,” said Trump about King Charles.
What was apparent was how much this meant to the US president. This prospect of a second state visit, with all the royal trimmings, was a really important piece of leverage in maintaining the special relationship.
The letter deftly frames the invite as the continuation of an already warm relationship from his “previous Presidency”, referencing Trump’s previous visit to the UK at the end of 2019, just before the pandemic, after which the King writes, “flights were off”.
State visits are soft power with carriage rides and chandeliers. They’re diplomatic razzle dazzle. They have a ritual of their own – the inspection at Horse Guards, the carriage ride up the Mall, the spectacular state banquet with speeches and elaborate table settings.
The state banquet is usually held in the Buckingham Palace ballroom, but the most recent state visit from Qatar was meant to be the last for a while, while they renovate the palace. Windsor Castle had been seen as a likely alternative.
The conversation between the PM and the US president also seemed to reference going to Windsor.
Image source, Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images
The president has spoken about how much he enjoyed meeting the “fantastic” Queen Elizabeth II during his 2019 state visit
In the King’s letter to Trump, he raises the idea of visiting Scotland – mentioning his homes in Balmoral in Aberdeenshire or Dumfries House in Ayrshire. That might be tapping into Trump’s Scottish ancestry, with his mother born in the Hebrides, as well as his interest in his golf courses.
It could also be a clever piece of political flattery. A presidential visit to the Royal Family’s home in Balmoral, where they go for some private time, would be very unusual and seem very intimate. It would evoke memories of the first US president that Charles met, as a 10-year-old boy, when President Eisenhower stayed there in 1959.
That was the last time a US president stayed at Balmoral, so that would be another fanfare moment.
The King’s letter phrases it with suitable largesse, saying that if the president is going to his Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire, then a “detour to a relatively near neighbour might not cause you too much inconvenience”.
A joint visit to Dumfries House would show that soft power also has to be flexible power. Because it’s a showcase for the King’s Foundation, which is all about the King’s belief in environmentalism, sustainability, harmony with nature and traditional crafts. None of that screams Donald Trump.
Image source, Jane Barlow-Pool/Getty Images
The King’s Foundation runs courses for thousands of young people at Dumfries House every year
But the King, seen close up, is remarkably adept at being creatively diplomatic in his conversation.
There’s a great gift to being non-specific. The letter talks of the “breadth of challenges across the world” and “values which matter so much to us all”, which could be interpreted in many ways.
He also puts the trip to Dumfries House, which provides training, in the context of something that has helped the US president’s golf business, mentioning the “hospitality skills-training for young people who often end up as staff in your own establishments!”
Bells and whistles
The royal connection has already been used as a diplomatic form of bridge building with the Trump administration. Prince William met the US president in Paris at the reopening of Notre Dame, a meeting that seemed to have gone down well, and kept the UK and US relations on course.
The US president has often talked about how much he enjoyed meeting the “fantastic” late Queen Elizabeth II.
But what’s missing in what we’ve seen of the letter is any detail on timing for the state visit. And Buckingham Palace has only said that it’s a case of happening “when diaries allow”.
There had been speculation that Trump might come to the UK for a short visit during VE Day commemorations in early May – as a working visit rather than the bells-and-whistles state visit.
State visits tend to be towards the end of the year – late November or early December, with autumn leaves up the Mall. But it might be that diaries will be more flexible for a Trump visit. And it feels as though the Starmer charm offensive towards Trump would want a state visit to work its magic sooner rather than later.
Next year will see celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence, so that might be more of an occasion for UK royals to travel to the US, rather than host a visit into the UK.
The letter seemed to have been a success, setting a positive, upbeat tone, in what could have been difficult areas of disagreement. It was looking for an equally positive response from the US president about the invitation.
“The answer is yes,” he said.