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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Tony Jones

King drawn into Iran dispute as Trump claims monarch ‘agrees with me’ on nuclear weapons

  • Donald Trump claimed that King Charles shares his conviction that Iran should not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons, a statement made during a White House state dinner on Tuesday.
  • The King's constitutional neutrality makes Trump's public declaration potentially awkward for royal aides, with a Buckingham Palace spokesperson responding that the King is “mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position” on nuclear proliferation.
  • During his speech at the dinner, King Charles subtly suggested his visit aimed to “put the ‘special’ back into our relationship”, referencing Queen Elizabeth II's efforts after the 1956 Suez Crisis.
  • Trump praised King Charles as a “fantastic person” after their bilateral meeting, despite earlier concerns from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey about the monarch meeting Trump.
  • King Charles delivered a historic address to Congress, becoming the first British king to do so, where he stressed the enduring importance of the partnership between the two nations.

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