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Newsweek
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
King Charles' Canada Tour Has Donald Trump Hanging Over It
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. King Charles III will open the Canadian Parliament next week in a historic ceremony against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's threats to annex America's northern neighbor. Canada recognizes Charles, 76, as its king and during a two-day tour from May 26 to May 27 he will be the first British monarch to give the speech from the throne in the country's legislature since Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. She did it twice, with the first being in 1957. While he has visited 19 times before, this will be his first as head of state and comes at a politically charged time, following Trump's talk about making the country the 51st state. King Charles III attends a Service for the Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey, in London, on May 16, 2025. King Charles III attends a Service for the Order of the Bath at Westminster Abbey, in London, on May 16, 2025. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images King Charles, Trump and Canada Trump's annexation talk might make a difficult playing field for Charles under normal circumstances, but it is particularly tricky because of the king's divided loyalties. He will always be king of Britain first and foremost, with the U.K. prime minister having unrivaled access to the royal family's famous soft power diplomacy. Even this very visit will likely have been arranged with the Royal Visits Committee at the U.K. Cabinet Office. More important though, Britain and Canada currently have very different foreign policy goals. While Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been working to draw a line in the sand over sovereignty and tell Trump he must not cross it, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer went on a charm offensive with Trump, using the king as his secret weapon. Starmer met Trump in the Oval Office earlier this year armed with an invitation from Charles to a historic second state visit, all part of efforts to pave the way for Britain to get a U.S. trade deal, which eventually was forthcoming. Carney, though, has made no secret of the fact Canadians felt the power move undermined their own messaging with the White House. He recently told Sky News: "I think, to be frank, they [Canadians] weren't impressed by that gesture ... given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear, some of us were being quite clear, about the issues around sovereignty." The Monarchy and Canada It all comes at a time when the British monarchy is not actually all that popular in Canada, despite a Trump bounce. Polling in March by Research Co. found 31 percent of Canadian adults wanted to keep the monarchy while 40 percent wanted to abolish it. That was a jump for royalists compared to a year earlier when 23 percent wanted to retain the king as head of state and 46 percent wanted to remove him, with Trump's threats being cited by the pollster as the likely cause. So the king will step into a country that the polls suggest would have removed him as head of state had a referendum been held in March but on the other hand with a new found unique role as protector. In the—perhaps unlikely—event that Trump were to send the U.S. military over the border to annex Canada by force, they would be infringing on a territory over which Charles is king. And Trump does actually quite like Charles, or so he told Starmer in February when he described the king as "a wonderful leader and friend." The invitation to the State Opening of Parliament was in fact a deliberate one with Trump in mind, Carney told Sky: "All issues around Canada's sovereignty have been accentuated by the president. So no, it's not coincidental, but it is also a reaffirming moment for Canadians." Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
King Charles Hinted He Also Has Issues With William Amid Reports There's ‘No Coming Back' With His Other Son Harry
With so much recent focus on the royal drama between King Charles and Prince Harry, which was only exacerbated by Prince Harry's recent bombshell interview where he discussed his desire to reconcile with his father and expressed that he didn't know how much time the King had left, it seems like people have forgotten about earlier reports about the King's relationship with his other son, Prince William. The oldest child, William, is set to take over the throne when Charles passes away, and has been trained for the role his entire life. But recent reports have indicated his father might not be in a hurry to have William take his place, and that the relationship between them is also not as great. British royals expert Hilary Fordwich recently told Fox News Digital that there should not be an expectation of abdication, despite the King's health issues. More from StyleCaster King Charles' Cancer Gets Devastating Update Amid Reports He 'Refused' Chemotherapy: He's 'Indeed a Sick Man' Prince Harry Finally Addresses Diddy Allegations-& How They Affected Meghan Markle Related: Did William really cheat on Kate? 'Prince William has been assuming more responsibilities, and there have been preparations for more transitions of responsibility,' she explained. 'Both Prince William and Princess Catherine have been readying to assume leadership roles with an accelerated schedule of preparation for their future positions as king and queen. But most certainly, they are not in any way actively seeking an immediate ascension.' Previous reports, however, seem to contradict the mood at the latest joint appearance for King Charles and Prince William, which took place at the Order of the Bath service at Westminster Abbey to mark 300th anniversary of the order. They also contradict previous reports on Charles' relationship with his sons, particularly those coming from Prince Harry himself, who has spoken about the subject. In his memoir, Spare, there's a story about Charles telling Princess Diana on the day he was born, 'Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare—my work is done.' Prince Harry also describes Charles as a 'loving, but sometimes distant father' who rarely showed physical affection. And in the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See, Harry told a story about Charles telling both him and Prince William when they were having a rough time as kids, 'Well, it was like that for me, so it's going to be like that for you.' Harry's relationship with his father is at an all-time low after his recent interview, with reports that King Charles won't speak to him, and sources saying, 'I think it's done … I don't think there's [any] coming back from that. The Sunday Times pushed back against the characterization of Charles' relationship with his sons as 'distant.' The quote a royal insider as saying, 'I don't think he was emotionally distant. That was one of the great myths and one of the great untruths that Diana propagated, that Charles was cold and not fun with the children, and that she was the fun one.' However, William's expression as he carried out duties alongside his father seems to support Harry's side of the story more. A friend of the Prince even told The Daily Beast, 'This is exactly the kind of medieval cosplay William thinks is ridiculous. He understands and respects tradition, but this kind of event is hardly telegraphing a monarchy which is modern and relevant.' Prince William has spoken before about trying to modernize the British Royal family, saying last year, 'I can only describe what I'm trying to do and that's trying to do it differently and I'm trying to do it for my generation. I'm doing it with maybe a smaller r in the royal.' And let's not forget Harry's account, in Spare, about the relationship between King Charles and Prince William. 'Pa and Camilla didn't like Willy and Kate drawing attention away from them or their causes,' adding that 'they'd openly scolded Willy about it many times.' The book also describes King Charles and Queen Camilla leaking unflattering stories about Prince William and Kate Middleton to the press. Sounds like anything but a great relationship. Best of StyleCaster The 26 Best Romantic Comedies to Watch if You Want to Know What Love Feels Like These 'Bachelor' Secrets & Rules Prove What Happens Behind the Scenes Is So Much Juicier BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
King Charles and Prince William Reunite in Frosty Royal Ceremony
With so much focus on Prince Harry and King Charles' estrangement, it's easy to forget that Prince William has also had a tricky relationship with his father. William and Charles made a rare joint appearance this week at the Order of the Bath service at Westminster Abbey to mark 300th anniversary of the order, and William didn't seem entirely thrilled to be there. More on that below. Meanwhile, a flattering report in The Sunday Times rejected any characterization of Charles relationship with his sons as 'distant.' A 'royal insider' is cited in the piece as saying, 'I don't think he was emotionally distant. That was one of the great myths and one of the great untruths that Diana propagated, that Charles was cold and not fun with the children, and that she was the fun one.' It is truly incredible that some people in the Windsor orbit are still interested in rubbishing Diana's name, but this renewed effort to rewrite history to portray Charles as a warm and avuncular father should not stand unchallenged. First off: A young Prince Charles appeared happy to be photographed holding 2-year-old Prince William's hand as they arrived at St. Mary's Hospital to meet newborn Prince Harry in September 1984. However, in Harry's memoir Spare, Charles exclaimed to Princess Diana on the day he was born, 'Wonderful! Now you've given me an heir and a spare—my work is done.' According to Harry, Charles then left to play polo immediately afterward. Elsewhere in Spare, Harry describes Charles as a 'loving, but sometimes distant father' who rarely showed physical affection. In the 2021 Apple TV+ series The Me You Can't See, Harry recalled his father saying to both boys at unhappy moments during their childhood: 'Well, it was like that for me, so it's going to be like that for you.' However, Harry had a damning verdict on this stiff-upper-lip philosophy: 'That doesn't make sense. Just because you suffered, that doesn't mean your kids have to suffer,' he said In a candid livestream conversation in March 2023 with trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté (part of the promotion of Spare), Harry discussed the 'lack of touching' and hugging in the royal household. He noted that his father loved his sons deeply, 'but he just couldn't show it' in the way they needed, because of how he himself was raised in an emotionally reserved family. Moreover, there is little argument among William's friends that Charles' emotional remoteness extended to his relationship with William. Charles even reportedly became jealous of the public adulation William and Kate had generated. 'Pa and Camilla didn't like Willy and Kate drawing attention away from them or their causes,' Harry wrote in Spare, noting that 'they'd openly scolded Willy about it many times.' Harry also described how William discovered that Charles (and Queen Camilla) had a hand in leaking unflattering stories about William and Kate to the tabloids. Harry writes that his brother was left 'seething' and 'justifiably incandescent' upon learning that 'Pa and Camilla's people had planted a story or stories about him and Kate, and the kids' in the press. A friend of William's told The Royalist, 'The boys certainly did have a difficult relationship with Charles after their mother died. It was part of what brought them so close together and why their estrangement today is so awfully sad.' Prince William's grumpy expression this week as he carried out that joint engagement with his father showed, perhaps, why such double headers are vanishingly rare. Father and son, clad in magnificent robes of crimson, were the principal celebrants at an anachronistic service celebrating what should by rights be a long-forgotten chivalric order, the Order of the Bath. The Order originated in the eighth century, and the name is taken from the ritual washing that was undertaken by gentlemen in preparation for the conferment of knighthood. William was installed Friday as Great Master, a role he inherited from his father, who was ceremonially handing it on at the service. It's hard to put your finger on exactly what look was pasted onto William's face as he made his way through Westminster Cathedral, but suffice to say: He didn't look especially thrilled by the honor. One friend of the prince told the Daily Beast, 'This is exactly the kind of medieval cosplay William thinks is ridiculous. He understands and respects tradition, but this kind of event is hardly telegraphing a monarchy which is modern and relevant.' William has made no secret of his desire to be rid of many of the bells and whistles of royal pomp, saying in November last year, 'I can only describe what I'm trying to do and that's trying to do it differently and I'm trying to do it for my generation. I'm doing it with maybe a smaller r in the royal.' A source close to William, when asked, dismissed suggestions that the Prince of Wales had reservations about the Order of the Bath service.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Buckingham Palace Posts Super Striking Photo of King Charles and His Son Standing Side by Side
From surprise appearances from other members to fun candids of the King and Queen, you can always count on the Buckingham Palace IG for the best snapshots and updates of the royal family. And this latest post puts the spotlight on the King and Prince honoring a rare royal tradition. On Friday, May 16, Buckingham Palace shared a striking slideshow of King Charles and Prince William taking on an unusual royal tradition dating back to medieval times. The pair were attending the Service for the Order of the Bath, a ceremony that takes place every four years. "The order was established by George I in 1725, though its origins go back to medieval times when part of the ceremony of knighthood included a ritual bath symbolic of spiritual purification," Buckingham Palace writes. In the first photo, we see the royal father and son standing side-by-side wearing bold red cloaks over their traditional military garb and adornments at Westminster Abbey. See the full post down below. The Service for the Order of the Bath celebrates and honors military officials and senior civil servants. "Celebrating the 300th anniversary of Order of the Bath. For three centuries, the order has recognized exceptional military and civil achievements across the UK and the Commonwealth," the caption read. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images During the ceremony, the Prince of Wales was also installed as Great Master of the Order, along with five other knights. King Charles rose to the Sovereign of the Order during his last visit in 2022 when he was the Prince of Wales. Now, with new roles and titles in place, the heir will attend every ceremony as the new Great Master, while Charles will attend every other one (every eight years). Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images After the heir's strange positioning on the royal balcony during VE Day, it's great to see the pair taking on royal duties together. Hopefully, this summer will bring on more rare shared appearances from the duo. Want all the latest royal news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Buckingham Palace Just Shared New Photos of a Surprising Royal Family Member (And It's Not Who I Expected)
Glasgow Times
17-05-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
King and Prince of Wales share private moment at Order of the Bath ceremony
The private moment took place as the father and son, dressed in their crimson satin robes, greeted each other ahead of the pomp and pageantry of the Order of the Bath service at Westminster Abbey. The special ceremony, which celebrated the 300th anniversary of the order, was also Charles's first time at the service as the sovereign – and saw William, who was attending for the first time, installed as Great Master of the ancient order. It is awarded to members of the military or Civil Service for exemplary work, and the Dean of Westminster, Reverend Dr David Hoyle, told guests: 'We gather today around the idea that virtue and value are precisely not measured in pounds and pence. 'It is in chivalry, nor is it patronage that binds us together. It's a shared and ordered belief in promise and service.' The Prince of Wales at Westminster Abbey (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Matters such as 'excellence and goodness', which are worthy of praise, 'do not happen by accident or chance', he reminded those gathered. He added: 'We have to sum them up. We have to remember them, and then, having done that, we have to act – that surely is what the most honourable Order of the Bath should be, what it should celebrate, what it should do. 'Here's a place to know and name what service of excellence look like. 'Here's a community that can describe goodness and commit to community and live it out. 'So the finery we see around us is a symbol of a deeper dignity, excellence, honour, and those things will only exist if we name them, it's a conversation we have to have.' The lavish ceremony saw Charles and William process through the church with officers, knights and the Dame Grand Cross of the order and take their seats in the Quire. Charles, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, and William appeared just two weeks on from his youngest son the Duke of Sussex's bombshell television interview in which he claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know how much longer his father has left to live. Charles at Westminster Abbey (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The installation ceremony took place in the abbey's Lady Chapel of King Henry VII, where the William took an oath, followed by five new Knights Grand Cross. They are Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Admiral Philip Jones, along with General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, Lord Young and Sir Tom Scholar. Charles handed the role, which he held himself for nearly 50 years, to William on St George's Day last year as part of a wave of prestigious appointments which included ones for the Queen and the Princess of Wales. During Friday's ceremony, Charles made an offering of gold and silver at the altar. It was followed by an offering from the newly installed knights whose swords were placed upon the altar. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725, although it is believed to originally date back as far as the eighth century. The title arose from the ritual washing inspired by baptism cleansing, a symbol of spiritual purification, which formed part of the preparations for the conferment of knighthood. The honour was not given until the candidates had prepared themselves through various rituals designed to purify the inner soul such as fasting, vigils and prayer, and cleansing themselves by bathing. During Queen Elizabeth II's reign, the custom of giving an honorary Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath to visiting presidents began, and famous recipients included former US president Ronald Reagan. The service usually takes place every four years, with the Great Master attending each time and the sovereign every eight. In April last year, Charles appointed daughter-in-law Kate the first Royal Companion in the history of the Order of the Companions of Honour in recognition of her public service and support of the arts, while Camilla was made Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
