![\"Keir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/\/29e132e9-e82c-49c0-89fb-f222b2b257a1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSir Keir Starmer has gone against the wishes of the King in bringing \u00adPresident Trump\u2019s state visit forward, despite the monarch\u2019s concerns over threats to Canada.<\/p>\n
Britain and the US are expected to confirm that a full state visit by the president will take place in September as Starmer prioritises his attempt to curry favour with Trump.<\/p>\n
Going against the original proposal for an earlier informal visit outlined by the King, the prime minister has expedited a full \u201cbells and whistles\u201d visit in an attempt to capitalise on the president\u2019s fascination with the royal family.<\/p>\n
The Palace had hoped for a more \u00adleisurely and considered approach, building towards a full state visit. However, the president made clear that his preference was for a full visit first, which would not be overshadowed by an informal handshake picture.<\/p>\n
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It was suggested that Sir Keir Starmer \u2014 pictured picking up the details of a transatlantic trade deal in Canada \u2014 is currying favour with Trump<\/p>\n
STEFAN ROUSSEAU\/AP<\/p>\n
It is understood that the \u201cmanu regia\u201d, the formal document required to \u00adinitiate a state visit, was signed by the King and hand-delivered to the White House last week.<\/p>\n
The revised timetable has put \u00adpressure on the King as head of state for Canada after Trump repeatedly said that the country could become the 51st state of the US.<\/p>\n
The Times understands that the Palace raised concerns about Trump\u2019s threats to Canada, seeing it as a reason not to rush into a state visit. One senior source said that a senior Palace aide had told government officials that the King did not want to f\u00eate Trump with a state visit while the president was \u201cimpugning his sovereignty\u201d over Canada.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Zelensky meets King Charles for lunch at Windsor Castle<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Senior government sources said the King wanted to have a state visit later in Trump\u2019s second term, hoping the issue could be resolved first. However, Starmer torpedoed that aim by publicly presenting Trump with a letter from the King in the Oval Office, which raised expectations of a quicker state visit \u2014 described by one source as a \u201ccock-up\u201d. The letter had been written to be presented privately alongside a condition that Trump stop talking about Canada as the \u201c51st state<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Starmer has refused to say whether he has privately urged Trump to dial down his rhetoric on Canada. Trump joined Queen Elizabeth for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019<\/p>\n VICTORIA JONES\/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n The King pointed out that a second state visit by a US president was \u00adunprecedented, adding: \u201cThat is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options.\u201d<\/p>\n A palace aide said: \u201cHis Majesty has known President Trump for many years and looks forward to hosting him and the first lady later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Carney, Canada\u2019s prime minister, has said his country is \u201cnot \u00adimpressed\u201d with Britain\u2019s invitation to Trump at a time when the president is threatening to annexe the country. On a visit to Canada last week, Starmer was forced to insist that \u00ad\u201cCanada is an independent, sovereign nation, and quite right too\u201d.<\/p>\n
The letter was not designed to be a formal invitation for this year, but was rather a \u201cvoucher\u201d that would buy time by suggesting that the president drop in on the King in Balmoral or Dumfries House and that they could \u201cplan the state visit together\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Queen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/\/402a51e5-7241-433f-93a8-5e974b4e3a3c.jpg\")
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