The petition may be growing, but King Charles will be right to ignore calls to withdraw his invitation to President Trump for a second state visit to Britain.
For a start, the monarch is above the reactive tit-for-tat tedium that so pervades modern life.
And while rolling up the red carpet would be an obvious rebuke after Trump’s harsh treatment of Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House last week, in a world helmed by strongmen hellbent on reshaping global order, international diplomacy desperately needs a dose of royal soft power.
Such “power” was on display earlier this week when the king hosted Zelensky at his Sandringham estate, a respectful, classy follow-up to the Ukrainian’s Oval Office dismissal.
Trump’s royal invitation, meanwhile, was actually UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s secret weapon in his first meeting with the president in Washington last week.
Like Willy Wonka with a golden ticket, Starmer knew that the unexpected gesture would establish good will from Trump — a self-confessed “huge fan” of the royals.
Yes, the unprecedented second state visit indulges the presidential ego, but they’ll be more going on behind the scenes than showcasing the Windsor family’s silver.
As well as the Ukraine peace negotiations, the president’s threats to make Canada — of which Charles is sovereign — the 51st state of America could also be on the agenda.
The king, of course, will be limited in his abilities to make policy, but Trump could still do with a dose of the measured and neutral discretion of the royal ear to counter his insular MAGA bubble.
Like the elderly patriarch of a brood of warring relatives, the king specializes in being a unifying force. Rules and respect are fizzling out even at the highest office, but this 959-year-old institution can still command the best behavior from those in its orbit and as a result make (or at least inspire) change.
Take the late queen’s personal connections with world leaders during a 70-year reign. Forged amid pony rides in Windsor Great Park, her close bond with Ronald Reagan, for instance, was thought to have played a part in securing US support in the Falklands War.
Then there was her refusal to visit South Africa during apartheid, which cemented a lifelong friendship with Nelson Mandela. And, of course, Elizabeth II’s historic 2011 state visit to Ireland that set the pace for closer Anglo-Irish relations after a violent 30-year conflict.
At 74-years-old, King Charles benefits from the unique insight of being front row to generations of previous US leaders — from visiting Nixon in the White House in 1970 to welcoming Eisenhower to Balmoral in 1959.
And while he must remain publicly apolitical, Trump’s visit is a significant opportunity to reassert his role as a moral compass at a moment when the monarchy’s true point and purpose has been under scrutiny.
It’s been a turbulent time for the institution since the queen’s death in 2022 — from the soapy saga of Harry and Meghan to the complex colonial legacy looming over once straightforward meet and greets around the Commonwealth.
Yet it feels like a tide is turning. Perhaps it’s a question of timing and contrasts. King Charles and Princess Kate’s stoic battles with cancer have won renewed respect as their quiet commitment to their day jobs reaffirmed their grit and gravitas.
Yes, it’s all an undeniably diminished version of its Elizabeth-helmed heyday. But The Firm remains rooted in resilience and leads with its history, permanence and stability in a fragile and fast-changing world.
Trump’s second state visit, when it comes, will no doubt be an endurance for the king, who is a very different man to the brash New Yorker. We’ve seen bursts of petulance over the years from Charles — that hissy fits over a malfunctioning fountain pen in 2022, for instance.
But at heart Charles is a sensitive soul, happiest with his water color painting and a Martini among the roses at Highgrove. A long term environmental and climate advocate, Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” oil and gas pledge surely sends shudders down the sovereign’s spine.
But with an eye on his legacy, having had a very hard act to follow, the king will be determined to play his part as a conduit to peace. As with all good diplomacy that will rest on Charles finding common ground with President Trump.
Pop culture and politics will mostly be off the table. But both are tenacious 70-something grandfathers — that might be the most obvious place to start.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
