𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The long-awaited and highly anticipated state visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla to the USA concluded earlier this week. After four days of events, ceremonies and dinners, the UK’s two most senior royals departed, but not before taking part in several closing engagements on their final day.

Among these was a meet-and-greet with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump outside the White House. During the interaction, a lip-reader claimed to have picked up a brief but warm comment from Melania to the Queen.

Speaking to Reach Plc, lip-reader Jeremy Freeman said that when Trump greeted Camilla, he remarked: “Your Majesty, you look beautiful.” Meanwhile, Melania added: “Your Majesty.”

At this point, referring to a brooch the Queen had just pointed at, Melania said: “Oh that’s so wonderful.”

The exchange came at the end of a four-day visit that many had hoped would help mend the so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the US, which has been under strain since Trump returned to the Oval Office last year.

Trump has been highly critical of the UK and some of its leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. He has also criticised Britain’s lack of involvement in America’s conflict with Iran — a stance that has proved popular with the British public, given concerns over the legality of the war.

Nevertheless, it had been hoped that the royal visit might help improve the special relationship, but there remains doubt over how much impact it will have, with both the public and some political figures sceptical about the prospects for meaningful change.

Speaking to the BBC about the potential impact of the visit, including the King’s state dinner speech, former Middle East adviser Brett McGurk downplayed its significance. He said that while it demonstrated the UK’s soft power, it could not compensate for a perceived lack of hard power.

He said: “If the King’s speech could actually translate into some shared interests and burden sharing, there is an opportunity. If you look at what’s happening with Ukraine, we really need the Brits — and their Navy — with us in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Meanwhile, a recent poll found that nearly half of Britons not only believe the special relationship is failing, but that it may not exist at all. Some 48 per cent of respondents surveyed by Ipsos expressed this view.

Discussing the findings, Ipsos’ Senior Director of UK Politics Gideon Skinner said: “British attitudes towards the relationship with the US have seen significant fluctuation over the last 12 months, but since the start of the Iran conflict belief in the special relationship has deteriorated rapidly to a new low.

“Against this backdrop, public opinion towards King Charles’ state visit is split, with as many in favour as against. This may partly reflect uncertainty over its likely impact, with four in 10 believing that it will make little difference to the state of the US-UK relationship.”