King Charles’s former aide urged him to postpone the US state visit (Image: Getty)
King Charles’s state visit to the US should be postponed as long as America is still at war with Iran, one of the monarch’s former top aides has said. Sir Peter Westmacott, the former British ambassador to America and the King’s former deputy private secretary, said a visit to the US amid the Iran war could prove to be “problematic” amid brewing tensions in the Middle East.
The King and Queen are reportedly expected to travel across the pond at the end of next month to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. But, although still unconfirmed, the reported state visit has been condemned by many following the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
One of those sceptical about the visit is Sir Peter, who served in Washington DC as British ambassador from 2012 to 2016.
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The King and Queen are reportedly planning to visit America next month (Image: Getty)
He was also British Ambassador to Turkey between 2002-2006 and Ambassador to France from 2007 to 2011.
The senior British diplomat served as Charles’s deputy private secretary between 1990 and 1993, when he was Prince of Wales.
The 75-year-old said the Government has a “a duty to protect the monarchy in a situation like this” and “a duty to reflect public opinion in this country”.
He told The Times’s The Royals podcast: “I personally think that at the moment, while this war is continuing, it is problematic.
“The United States government is conducting a war, which the British government initially thought was clearly illegal.”
He added: “Both the Prime Minister and I imagine the palace will be asking themselves, ‘What does British public opinion really feel about this? How will a state visit to the United States at this time be perceived, how will it be felt?
Most Brits don’t want the US state visit to go ahead (Image: YouGov)
“Is this indicative of the King…endorsing what the president of the United States is doing?’ While this goes on, that must be a matter for discussion.”
It comes as a new poll revealed that nearly half of Britons are against the US state visit.
The latest poll by YouGov, showed that nearly half of those polled (46%) think that the state visit should be cancelled. Another 36% said they should go ahead, while 18% voted I don’t know. The survey was conducted on May 9 on 12,002 British adults.
The British diplomat suggested that the US visit should be postponed, instead of being cancelled, to avoid any clash between the UK and the US.
He explained: “There are ways in which you can deal with these things. You can say, ‘This is of absolutely critical importance, we’re dying to do it, but the timing doesn’t work.
“A postponement is something quite different from a cancellation as a political gesture, that’s a statesmanlike way of managing the issue. It is too important a relationship for us to mess with and to risk antagonising a somewhat thin-skinned president.”
He also described some of the US’s actions in the conflict as “war crimes,” saying: “The sinking of that ship [Iris Dena] unarmed off the coast of Sri Lanka, the bombing of the girls’ school because the United States government hadn’t done proper targeting, this is pretty horrific. This is war crime stuff.”
According to the newspaper, Downing Street declined to comment, saying the visit is not yet announced.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “All state visits are on the advice of Government.”
