Royal Aide Reveals Why King Charles "Took the Bull by the Horns" During "High-Stakes" Washington Visit

"Trump has shown nothing but contempt for the alliance..."

King Charles III and Donald Trump during a departure ceremony at the South Portico of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 30, 2026
(Image credit: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

King Charles and Queen Camilla recently completed a visit to the United States, where they spent time with Donald and Melania Trump. During the trip, The King delivered a speech to the United States Congress, in which he made some pointed political remarks.

The Daily Mail's royal editor, Rebecca English, said of the royal visit, "The monarch's trip has widely been lauded as a triumph in helping to revive the so-called special relationship [between the U.K. and the U.S.], while gently delivering some home truths to Trump on contentious issues."

A royal aide told English, "The word historic is much overused and we always hesitate to use it in the palace but I think one could use that term for this visit...It was a high-stakes address to Congress."

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English subsequently noted that "The King took the bull by the horns and raised issues including the role of NATO at a time when Trump has shown nothing but contempt for the alliance."

As for why King Charles chose to discuss such challenging issues, the royal aide explained, "It's a measure of how much he personally cares."

Queen Camilla, King Charles, Donald Trump and Melania Trump waving from the White House

"The word historic is much overused and we always hesitate to use it in the palace but I think one could use that term for this visit."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The royal aide elaborated on why King Charles decided to cover difficult issues, which could have negatively impacted his relationship with Trump.

"First, what The King says will always be guided by the truth," the aide shared. "Two, it will be guided by conscience. And three, they're all observable facts. Everything that is in that speech is an observable fact. So, I think we felt very comfortable with The King speaking as he did."

Luckily, King Charles's visit to the United States appeared to strengthen his bond with Trump.

"Given some of the issues that have presented themselves, you'd think it might all be a bit tricky," the royal source told the publication. "But far from it."

Queen Camilla, King Charles, Donald Trump and Melania Trump in evening gowns and tuxes

"It was a high-stakes address to Congress."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The royal aide continued, "The warmth you see in public is absolutely the warmth you see in private. That meeting in the Oval Office, there was an awful lot of warmth and laughter."

In spite of any potential disagreements, Charles and Trump appear to have a positive working relationship.

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Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.