Will King Charles III get caught in the crossfire?
On Commonwealth Day, King Charles III is the focus of attention as the head of the union. Recently, the British government has used him as a diplomatic joker on several occasions. For Charles, it was a balancing act.
A church service in Westminster Abbey, a reception with guests of honour from the 56 Commonwealth countries and a speech on the values and traditions of the Commonwealth: in normal times, Commonwealth Day on the second Monday in March is a routine appointment for the monarch.
But in these turbulent times, that is also different and Charles' message on his third Commonwealth Day as King is being particularly closely scrutinized. "In these uncertain times," Charles said today, it is easy to "see differences as a problem" and not as a "source of strength and opportunity to learn." The question immediately began as to whether this was also a message to the US President.
The current "uncertain times" have far-reaching consequences for Charles and his role. As Prince of Wales, he was notorious for his political statements. He was nicknamed "the meddling prince". Now, in the third year of his reign, he is practically being encouraged to meddle.
The British government has used the king as a diplomatic trump card several times in recent weeks. At the end of February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought an invitation from Charles to a state visit to the Oval Office - and Donald Trump, an admirer of the British royal family, was flattered.
Both sides stressed that no US president had ever been honoured with a second state visit. Starmer and Trump repeated several times that this was unprecedented.
