On her first trip to the United States as sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II so charmed President Dwight D. Eisenhower that she managed to mend a breach between their two countries over the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Seven decades later, her son Charles will be tested on his first trip to Washington as king to somehow smooth Great Britain's relations with President Donald Trump, which were torn by conflicts over the course of the Iran war and the future of the NATO alliance.
At stake may be the future of the "special relationship" between the two countries, forged during World War II and now more imperiled than it has been since England defied Eisenhower's advice and tried to seize control of the Suez Canal.
As a constitutional monarch, Charles won't negotiate the United Kingdom's role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz or the configuration of a European security alliance in which the U.S. seems determined to take a smaller role. Those are the tasks of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government.
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Still, with a state dinner and a garden party, an address to Congress and sightseeing in New York City and Appalachia, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will try to reinforce the fundamentals of the two nations' long ties.
"Their Majesties' programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence," Buckingham Palace said. A half-century earlier, in 1976, Elizabeth joined the U.S. bicentennial celebrations.
In an interview with London's Sky News, Trump was enthusiastic about seeing Charles again, calling him "a great gentlemen, a friend of mine."
He sounded less sanguine about the nation the king represents. Asked about the state of the "special relationship," the president said Starmer made "a tragic mistake" in his policies on immigration and energy, and described U.S.-U.K. relations as "sad."
Britain's King Charles III on Wednesday visits Dumfries House, Ayrshire.
Presidents and precedents
Charles was 10 years old in 1959 when he met Eisenhower, the revered World War II general who was invited to Balmoral Castle. Charles was 21 when he first visited the U.S. and was feted by President Richard Nixon, who reportedly hoped to pique the prince's romantic interest in his older daughter, Tricia.
Years later, the prince met with President Ronald Reagan and became close to first lady Nancy Reagan, who attended his wedding to Diana Spencer and later commiserated with Elizabeth at the state of that star-crossed marriage. In England and over 19 trips to the U.S., he also met with Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
And Trump.
The two men are close in age: The king is 77 years old; the president is 79. Trump adored Charles' mother since age 6, when he watched her coronation on TV next to his own Scottish-born mother.
Trump's first meeting with Charles, during a state visit to England in 2019, had its hiccups.
Afterward, the president told aide Stephanie Grisham that their conversation seemed interminable. "Nothing but climate change," he groused, according to Grisham's White House memoir, "I'll Take Your Questions Now."
Melania Trump confirmed that with a laugh. "Oh, yes, he was very bored," she said.
In the wake of Elizabeth's death, Trump mused about the task Charles faced as king. "She was truly a legendary figure," he said in a 2024 interview for a book, "The Queen and Her Presidents." "Time will go by, but it's not going to be easy to replace somebody like that."
He added, "Hopefully Charles will be able to have a chance to do that."
Last year, the president was clearly delighted when Starmer delivered an invitation from Charles for a second state visit to London — the first for any president. In his toast at the white-tie dinner at Buckingham Palace, he called it "truly one of the highest honors of my life."
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the British Museum to view the final design for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial on Tuesday, the 100th anniversary of the late queen's birth, in London, Britain.
From Jeffrey Epstein to the Iran war
Charles' return visit to Washington comes at a time of upheaval.
The British monarchy was shaken by revelations of misconduct in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by Charles' brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after he was stripped of his royal titles. The U.S. presidency saw turmoil, as well, after Trump's unprecedented assertion of executive powers divided the American public and sparked legal battles.
The war in Iran not only roiled the Middle East but also had repercussions for the world's economy and its long-standing alliances.
After decades of being America's closest friend in the world, Britain now feels compelled to move toward Europe, Starmer warned. "As the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union," he said after Trump dismissed NATO as a "paper tiger" and said he was considering withdrawing the U.S.
