Featured Image Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Topics: King Charles III, Donald Trump, Politics, Royal Family
William Morgan
Topics: King Charles III, Donald Trump, Politics, Royal Family
The first day of King Charles III's first state visit to the United States since been crowned as Britain's monarch saw a renewal of the two countries 'special relationship', as well as a few subtle jabs at President Trump.
The day started with a public handshake showdown between the king and the president in front of the White House, where Trump's usual strong arming failed to dominate the man who has been shaking dozens of hands for over half a century.
But as the day progressed, the warm relationship exhibited by 77-year-old King Charles and President Trump, 79, saw both heads of state share a number of kind statements about their countries shared culture and history.
This culminated in a truly poignant, if pointed, gift to President Trump, who has long enjoyed proximity to the British royals, with King Charles presenting his acquaintance of 20 years with a giant brass bell with his name on it.
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This shiny brass bell may not have the same monetary value as the gifts lavished on Trump by some nations, such as Qatar giving the president his own Boeing 747, but its historic significance and relevance was far greater than that of a plane.
The bell with Trump's name on it actually comes from a World War Two British submarine called the H.M.S. Trump, which played a significant role for the Royal Navy in securing the world's waterways for the British and American response to the rise of Nazism in Europe.
King Charles, who himself served in the Royal Navy half a century ago, informed the president that the submarine had played 'a critical role during the war in the Pacific', referencing how both Germany and Japan were defeated due to the strength of the 'special' transatlantic alliance.
The monarch told Trump that this ship's bell was his 'personal' gift to the president, adding: “May it stand as a testimony to our nation’s shared history and shining future."
But then he cracked an uncharacteristic and subtle joke.
“And should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring,” the king joked to President Trump, both referencing the past century of unparalleled military cooperation between the two allies, with 12,000 American soldiers based in Britain, as well as thousands of US intelligence agents working at the UK's spy center GCHQ.
But this is also a subtle reference to the source of the current anger from President Trump towards Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who joined the rest of the NATO alliance in staying out of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
This led Trump to slam Britain and its Royal Navy, which ruled all the world's oceans when America won its independence through a bloody struggle 250 years ago. The president dismissed their two working aircraft carriers as 'toys' when they refused to immediately deploy them to the Middle East.
Something that may have crossed his mind, as he looked at a giant brass bell with his own name on it from a British ship that defended American interests in the Pacific, a role it continued for decades after the war ended.
And King Charles' surprising humor did not stop there, even referencing some of the transatlantic beef of recent months.
He said: “Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French.”
The king added: “American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent, playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe. We and I shall never forget that.”