King Charles could be dragged into a row with Donald Trump over the US president’s claim that he wants to make Canada the 51st state, one of Britain’s top broadcasters has warned.
The monarch risks being exposed in the spat due to his role as Canada’s head of state, raising questions about whether he should stay silent as the country faces the ire of the US president.
As well as being a key member of the Commonwealth, Canada and the UK both share a head of state in King Charles.
But Sir Keir Starmer has so far refused to criticise Mr Trump for saying he would “love to see Canada become the 51st state”, even threatening to use “economic force” to make it happen.
Mr Trump has also launched a trade war against the US’s northern neighbour, imposing a now-postponed 25 per cent tariff on imports from the country, with Canada threatening retaliatory levies of its own.
But Charles does not have the luxury, as Canadian head of state, of being able to simply ignore Mr Trump’s rhetoric against the country.
Speaking on his LBC show, former BBC presenter Andrew Marr said: “The British government may or may not try to stay neutral in Canada versus the US, but the monarch can’t… it’s all a bit rum.”
Mr Marr discussed the issue with Robert Hazell, professor of government and the constitution at University College London, who said the Canadian government may end up pleading with Charles to make a public intervention against Mr Trump.
Any such intervention would be made “very cautiously”, he told LBC, but said “it’s conceivable the Canadian government may plead with him, because it is known Trump is very impressed by the royal family, to make some kind of intervention”.
Professor Hazell said Charles would not speak to Sir Keir directly about the issue, but would instead consult the Canadian government about the situation, citing the split between the 15 countries of which he is head of state, including the UK.
Sir Keir has been reluctant to criticise the US president over its stance on Canada or his desire to take over Greenland, an island which is currently part of Denmark, an ally of the UK.
The prime minister is keen to maintain what has been a positive start to his relationship with Mr Trump, hoping that Britain may be able to dodge any targeted tariffs and even strike a trade deal with the US.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has accused Mr Trump of deploying “playground bully” tactics towards Canada, adding that “we mustn’t let Donald Trump bully the UK or our close ally Canada, who we share a head of state with.
“Trump’s tariffs on our Commonwealth partner are a shocking way to treat a country that stood alongside both the US and the UK during the Second World War,” Sir Ed added.
The Independent has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.
