00:01Royal visits do not decide policy, but they can shape the atmosphere around it.
00:07This one comes as a sensitive point for Britain's relationship with its closest defence and intelligence partner.
00:16Stronger or weaker ties with Washington can affect trade, prices, jobs, security commitments and the way ministers handle international crises.
00:26I mean, of course, there's always going to be difficulties when you meet up with Trump, but on this occasion,
00:31he seems to have been under control.
00:34We saw pictures, but by and large, we didn't hear anything that was being said.
00:38The reason for this was that Keir Starmer does not enjoy a particularly great relationship with Trump,
00:44although that doesn't say much because, of course, you can be in Trump's good books one minute and out of
00:50the next.
00:50But Keir Starmer seems to have fallen particularly foul of the temper tantrums of Donald Trump.
00:58And so what the plan was was to use the second visit by Trump to Britain, which is pretty unprecedented,
01:07in order to soften the relations or to make things much better.
01:12And then, of course, that Prince Charles would go over.
01:15Of course, it's ostensibly to celebrate the sort of the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain.
01:21The visit officially marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, but is taking place against present day strains.
01:31The King is meeting President Trump during a formal programme that includes a White House welcome and address to members
01:38of the Congress.
01:39His public message has focused on shared history, democracy, defence cooperation and support for Ukraine.
01:46That matters beyond diplomacy.
01:49The United States is a major market for British firms, a key security partner and an influence on global decisions
01:56that can feed through to energy costs, manufacturing, farming, investment and public spending choices at home.
02:04What you have are two men in their late 70s.
02:08And indeed, Donald Trump will be 80 later on this year.
02:12So, of course, they share the sort of the similar age, as it were.
02:15Whether they share similar interests is highly debatable.
02:18We don't know what the sort of thoughts of King Charles are on Donald Trump.
02:23But, you know, Donald Trump shares his views about the sort of royalty.
02:26Of course, his mother was from, sort of, Scotland or one of the Scottish islands.
02:30Therefore, of course, he has this affinity and sort of view of Britain.
02:32So, what this is about, this is soft power, you know, at its zenith.
02:36You send somebody over there who, let's face it, he is non-political.
02:40I'm talking about King Charles, in the hope, of course, that this brings about sort of better relationships.
02:45And, of course, to use the expression, curry some favour.
02:48Because, of course, Britain sort of needs all the favourites we can get in the sort of the harsh world
02:53that we've got.
02:54Which was bad anyway.
02:56Until, of course, the sort of the war in Iran, started by a certain Donald Trump, has made things an
03:01infinitely worse.
03:02So, this is about sort of American investment and sort of the economy that we have.
03:07Which is about sustaining jobs and sort of products being sold over to America.
03:11And, of course, there is the sort of the threat that Donald Trump is going to, again, look at tariffs.
03:15And he's going to sort of impose more sanctions on Britain.
03:18So, the hope is that by sort of using this soft power, this may sort of pay dividends.
03:22As to sort of what will happen in the long term, who knows.
03:25The one thing that we can guarantee at some point in the not too distant future, there will be a
03:30presidential election.
03:32Unless I'm sort of greatly mistaken or something dramatic happens.
03:35And Donald Trump on the Constitution will not stand.
03:37So, in a sense, he is the sort of the most transient of these people.
03:42Although, of course, Keir Starmer could be gone in three years' time.
03:45But, of course, Trump will already be gone.
03:47King Charles, if you like, he's the sort of the common thread in all this.
03:50And the hope is, of course, the special relationship.
03:53Difficulties being in sort of recent months may sort of continue with the sort of the next prime minister.
04:00And, indeed, the sort of the next presidential candidate, whoever that might be, in two years' time.
04:06There are limits to what a monarch can do.
04:09The King represents the UK state.
04:11But ministers make policy and speeches on a state visit are prepared within that constitutional framework.
04:18President Trump has suggested the visit could help improve relations.
04:22While critics argue ceremony cannot remove real policy disagreements.
04:27And they include security trade and the handling of international conflicts.
04:33Supporters of the visit say personal diplomacy can keep Charles open.
04:38Others say lasting repair depends on decisions made by elected governments.
04:43The state visit gives both countries a chance to restate a lung partnership at a difficult moment.
04:50It does not settle the disputes between London and Washington and its full effect may take time to judge.
04:56The next test will be whether warmer public language is followed by practical progress on trade, security and foreign policy.
05:05The areas most likely to affect communities, employers and public services in our parts of the world and, indeed, across
05:13the whole UK.
05:13The next test will happen when they Eastier the UK would be supermarket or local Pokemon and String prey on
05:15both sides.
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