King Charles on US mission to bolster UK’s special relationship with royalist Trump

Britain’s King Charles heads to the United States next week for the most high-profile trip of his reign so far, on a mission to shore ​up the future of the two allies’ “special relationship” which the Iran war has plunged to its lowest point in 70 years. The state visit marks the 250th ‌anniversary of the US declaration of independence from British rule, when the then 13 American colonies decided to split from King George III, Charles’s five-times-great-grandfather. For Charles, it will be a moment to reflect on how Britain and the United States have come together since then to forge some of the world’s closest security, military and economic ties, while for US President Donald Trump it will be another chance to indulge his ​love of the British royals. It also comes against the backdrop of the worst relations between the two countries since the Suez Crisis in 1956, ​with repeated criticism by Trump of Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his refusal to join the attack on Iran and dismissive remarks about Britain's military capabilities. Nigel Sheinwald, Britain’s ambassador to Washington from 2007 to 2012, said the visit could not, and was not designed to heal any current acrimony between governments, but it ​would demonstrate ties that went far deeper than any individuals. “Pretty much more than any other visit, this is about the long term. This is about the fundamentals of the relationship between ​our peoples, our countries,” Sheinwald told Reuters. “It’s not about what’s