King Charles is set to leave for the crucial overseas visit as tensions between the US and Britain become intense.
Last September, the royals had hosted US President Trump and the First Lady at Windsor Castle to iron out ties and move along some trade deals important to the British government.
In recent events, there had been a tense exchange of views on Trump’s approach to the Middle East conflict between the US President and British Prime Minister Keir Starmar.
Political commentator Iain Dale noted that the “special” relationship between the two nations has been “fractured” and is at a “historic low” following Trump’s “insults” against the country.
Keir has refused to support Trump’s war, which had not gone down well with the US president. Although Trump maintained high praise for the monarch and expressed his enthusiasm to welcome him with a grand gesture.
“The monarchy is part of what is known as Britain’s soft power, how we influence world leaders, other countries through the monarchy,” he explained.
“And this visit is absolutely key to using that soft power.”
There are some strict rules and special prohibitions in place, as the visit had been months in the making. The briefing for this visit had been “more extensive than for any other state visit he will ever undertake”.
Since US presidents do not bend, there is a middle ground of “bowing and failing” and there is coordination to avoid anyone breaking formal guidelines or a “clash of colors or designs” in their wardrobes.
There is also a gift exchange policy in both the White House and the Palace. Heavy research goes into what gift to give to the dignitaries because a wrong move can cause a major disruption and jeopardize the entire visit.
