The King has met with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau – just a day after he welcomed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to his Norfolk estate.
Charles appeared to give a hearty laugh as the Canadian leader gestured towards him with a pointed figure and shook the monarch's hand.
Mr Trudeau also clasped the King's hand in both of his in a demonstration of the ease of their relationship as the pair met in the saloon at Sandringham House.
Mr Trudeau’s private audience with Charles at Sandringham on Monday morning came after the Canadian leader flew to London to join an emergency defence summit of European leaders in London at the weekend.
The King has been hailed for offering a show of solidarity to Mr Zelensky by warmly welcoming him on Sunday afternoon after the president’s dramatic Oval Office clash with US president Donald Trump.
Diplomatic efforts on Ukraine have intensified as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Europe’s leaders they stand at a “crossroads in history” and urged them to join his “coalition of the willing”.
Charles, who has invited Trump to pay an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, is increasingly being seen as a unifying figure despite the turmoil on the world’s political stage, through the royal family’s so-called “soft power” diplomacy.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to make neighbouring Canada the 51st state of the America, claiming that without a massive subsidy from the US, it “ceases to exist as a viable country”.
Mr Trudeau was set to raise his concerns over the matter with Charles, who is King of Canada.
The Canadian leader said in London on Sunday that he would discuss matters of importance to Canadians with the monarch and said, “Nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation”.
Trump has also vowed to impose tariffs on imported goods from Canada as soon as Tuesday amid his concerns over border crossings.
The King has faced criticism for being silent about Trump’s suggestion of annexing Canada.
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney said, “for Canadians disappointed that King Charles has not commented” on Trump’s threats, he can only act on the advice of Canada’s prime minister.
“The Government of Canada should ask the Head of State to underscore Canadian sovereignty,” Mr Kenney posted on X.
Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian public servant, posted on X: “Canadians will need to decide what purpose King Charles III serves as King of Canada if he can’t even speak up for our sovereignty.”
