No act of royal diplomacy, however well executed, can deliver an instant reset in the US-UK relationship.
Articles on state visit
Displaying all articles
The trip will go ahead after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner raised doubts about security.
Some substantive deals were struck and, most importantly, the president was flattered into playing nice.
The king took a gamble on pressuring the president over Ukraine but it seems to have paid off.
Both sides insisted they operate in great harmony, but notes of discord will be obvious to the outside world.
What happens beyond the pomp – and what role does the king play?
State visits are usually tightly controlled to give the maximum benefit to both countries. But the US president is notoriously unpredictable.
There is a danger that the monarch’s reputation is affected by hosting controversial heads of state.
The meeting is just the second US state visit during the Biden administration. It comes as Washington and Seoul face common concerns.
As former director of the US Information Agency, Edward R. Murrow, once put it, presidential travel should be treated as a ‘weapon’ to influence popular opinion.
It looks as if a state visit from the US president is on the cards. But the Queen is a veteran at hosting unwanted guests.
Top contributors
-
PhD candidate, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University
-
PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge
-
Professor in Korean Studies, Tufts University
-
Professor of International Politics in the Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham
-
Lecturer in Constitutional and Administrative Law, and Public Procurement, Bangor University
-
Professor of International Relations, University of Leeds
-
Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, Newcastle University
-
Visiting Fellow in History, Anglia Ruskin University
-
Reader in Modern Political History, Loughborough University