U.S. Envoy Warns Cancelling King Charles State Visit Would Be a Big Mistake

U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Warren Stephens delivered a blunt message Thursday during a question-and-answer session at the British Chambers of Commerce conference in London: "I think that would be a very big mistake," when asked about growing calls to cancel King Charles III's planned state visit to the United States.

Stephens added, "I think he will go and I think it will be a very meaningful trip for him," though he stopped short of formally confirming the visit. It has been rumoured for months that the British monarch will visit the United States in April, but Buckingham Palace has not officially confirmed the trip.

Stephens said House Speaker Mike Johnson had extended an invitation for Charles to address both Houses of Congress during his stay, with congressional and Senate leaders told to prepare for a joint meeting the week beginning April 27. The last time a British royal addressed Congress was May 1991, when Charles's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, spoke to a packed House chamber, meaning Charles would become the first British monarch to do so in more than three decades. The King and Queen are anticipated to travel to Washington and New York during April, coinciding with celebrations marking 250 years since American independence.

If confirmed, it will be Charles's first trip to the U.S. as king, after hosting Trump for a lavish state visit last September. The U.S. ambassador to the UK told the business conference in London that it would be a "very big mistake" for the British government to ditch plans for the King and Queen to travel to Washington DC next month.

The plans have met with opposition, including from politicians urging it to be called off over the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and President Donald Trump's harsh critiques of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A YouGov poll published Thursday found nearly half of British citizens opposed the visit to the U.S., with only a third saying it should go ahead. Emily Thornberry, a senior MP in Starmer's ruling Labour party, said earlier this month it would be "safer to delay" the visit, warning that Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, could be left feeling "embarrassed" because of the ongoing conflict. Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey went further, asking: "Why are we rewarding Donald Trump with a state visit from our king?"

The stakes of cancellation extend beyond protocol. The King travels on government advice, so it is not within his gift to cancel the trip: that decision rests with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Downing Street has declined to provide any timeline for when the trip might take place, with the prime minister's official spokesman stating: "We're just not going to comment on something that hasn't yet been confirmed." An unnamed Washington source told The Independent that President Trump "will go ballistic" if the visit is cancelled and would blame the prime minister directly.

Trump has lashed out at the British prime minister over the UK response to the U.S.-Israel military operation in Iran, and most recently called British aircraft carriers "toys," saying "don't bother" to send Royal Navy help. Trump has also previously said that Starmer is "no Winston Churchill."

Stephens also used the London conference to defend the broader Trump economic agenda. Speaking to the assembled business audience, he noted that "stock markets in the UK, Europe, Japan and South Korea are all up since President Trump has taken these actions, or at least they were when this speech was written," then added, to laughter in the room: "Kind of funny." He further reinforced Trump's criticism of the UK's plans to transition away from fossil fuels, arguing that "the solution here is energy addition, not subtraction" and that "we need all forms of energy on the table, including oil and gas."

Charles's younger brother, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following the latest U.S. release of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, adding to a difficult domestic backdrop for the royal family as the April visit approaches.

Trump himself announced last week that the visit would proceed, telling reporters that Charles would be arriving "very shortly" and expressing that he was "looking forward" to the occasion. Whether Buckingham Palace follows with a formal announcement now falls against a backdrop of a transatlantic relationship that is, by any measure, under strain.