LONDON — Ukraine’s allies are trying everything they can to keep Donald Trump onside. This week, that includes deploying the king of England.
Joined by first lady Melania Trump, he’ll be the first-ever U.S. president to be formally welcomed to Windsor Castle, another unprecedented element of an already paradigm-breaking second state visit for a leader who loves being singular.
They will be lauded with the finest pomp and pageantry Britain has to offer, replete with banqueting, honor escorts and a ceremonial flypast of the sort Trump has been impressed by before — and which serves as a reminder of the long history of military cooperation between Britain and the U.S.
The hope is that the royal charm offensive will lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his senior aides to make fresh efforts to persuade Trump he should apply more pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the quest for peace in Ukraine.
While it may not appear on any program for the visit, political and royal aides expect it will be raised behind the scenes.
A senior defense official, granted anonymity like others in this piece to speak candidly, said the king is “very close” to the detail of ceasefire negotiations and to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself.
That gives the prime minister a weapon many other European leaders don’t have: a sympathetic monarch who has quietly yet consistently demonstrated his support for Kyiv — and is willing to do his part to push back on U.S. skepticism toward the cause.
A royal ally
The U.S. president, who so often discards other conventions, has a deep respect and affection for the royal family, which the state visit is intended to capitalize on.
As he departed for Britain, he hailed Charles as “such an elegant gentleman” and described his second visit as a “great honor.”
He has been far less reverent toward Zelenskyy, to put it mildly, suggesting at various points that he bears responsibility for Russia’s invasion of his country and humiliating him at their infamous meeting in the Oval Office earlier this year.
At a time of highly uncertain American support, the Ukrainian leader has found a champion in the king.
Charles unexpectedly welcomed Zelenskyy for tea at Sandringham in the aftermath of the Oval Office debacle, and then for lunch at Windsor Castle just ahead of June’s NATO summit.
Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine program at Chatham House, said the king’s show of support sent a message “of solidarity and a reminder of who is the victim and who is the aggressor” amid “distortion and disinformation” by Putin.
A former senior U.K. diplomat said that while the king does not speak publicly about matters of government, he is “adept at finding other ways of showing his views.”
And he will have plenty of time to do so: The president will stay overnight at Windsor Castle, where he will be treated to a carriage procession through the estate and lunch in the state dining room before the main event of the white-tie state banquet.
“It wouldn’t be surprising if he took the opportunity privately to encourage the president to support Ukraine more effectively,” the same former diplomat said.
A royal aide acknowledged the king’s interest in Ukraine, noting that he called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine in a message of solidarity to mark the country’s independence day last month.
The king may nod to Ukraine during his speech at the state banquet, as he did during French leader Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit, but otherwise his diplomacy is likely to take place behind closed doors, bolstered by symbolism throughout the trip designed to highlight the two countries’ history as wartime allies.
The hard sell
The trickier question is whether the king’s overtures will make a difference.
One government adviser pointed to Trump’s royal reception by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, arguing it helped pave the way for a successful NATO summit, at which he recommitted to the alliance.
Trump will be joined on the trip by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, meaning there will also be the chance to influence his top diplomats. During Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the U.K. in the summer, insiders reported that both Rubio and Vance had become increasingly engaged with Kyiv’s point of view.
Charles’ biographer Robert Hardman previously told POLITICO: “In soft power terms, other world leaders, other countries are far more interested in the monarchy than they are in Downing Street.”
This contrast — together with the continuity represented by the monarch — may be at an even higher premium as Starmer faces questions over his future following weeks of turmoil inside No. 10.
At the same time, spurring Trump toward stronger action in support of Ukraine remains a tough sell. While the president appears to have edged toward a more skeptical view of Putin, that has not yet translated into a decisive move to punish him.
The president made clear in a Truth Social post that he expects NATO allies to stop purchasing Russian oil and place significant tariffs on China for its support of Russia’s war before the U.S. enacts any additional costs on Russia.
Torrey Taussig, director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council think tank, said that coupled with Trump’s muted response to the Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace, “this latest positioning does not give Starmer much room to maneuver.”
Taussig added that while Trump’s affinity for the royals “may lend weight” to an appeal from the king on Ukraine, she was “unconvinced” the president would change course.
If the U.K.’s main job so far has been attempting to keep Trump in the room for talks about Ukraine, then the king will at least contribute to that effort — with grander gestures than most.
Annabelle Dickson contributed to this report.
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