'Unpredictable' Trump could catch King Charles by surprise

Dame Emily Thornberry, Labour chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, is said to be 'anxious' over King Charles' US State Visit, which begins later on Monday.

The politician has expresesd her concern ahead of the British monarch's meeting with the US president, fearing the "unpredictability" of Trump could cause King Charles a headache and catch him off guard.

The four-day tour, which comes on the backdrop of a fractious diplomatic relationship between the UK and the US, has already grabbed headlines.

Trump has attracted massive attention with his repeated criticism on the UK's Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over a number of his policies, such as Net Zero, immigration and the US-Israeli offensive in Iran.

This is concerning to Dame Emily, telling the BBC: "I still remain anxious about this, and I don't think I'm really alone." 

"It is a really high-wire act, and the [US] president is so unpredictable, we just don't know what he's going to say."

She went on to admit that "if anybody can pull it off, it is the King", and that he is "up for the challenge".

The Labour chairwoman explained: "There are a number of things that we're at loggerheads on here, whether it’s Nato, Ukraine, Greenland, Chagos, the Falklands, the things he's said about our armed forces, immigration, renewables, controlling social media."

The US President revealed last week that "everything" would be on the agenda with his "friend" King Charles.

Speaking to Reuters, the US President said Iran, Nato and the UK's digital services tax will be among the topics the two will discuss when the monarch arrives.

"I'm going to talk about it. He is a friend of mine, and he is a great guy," he said.

"We've been looking at it and we can meet that very easily by just putting a big tariff on the UK, so they better be careful," he told reporters in the Oval Office in yet another brutal blow for the PM.

"If they don’t drop the tax, we'll probably put a big tariff on the UK."

Knowing the sensitivity of his and  King Charles meeting, Trump has repeatedly insisted any ongoing tensions between himself and Sir Keir would not overshadow the monarch's trip.

Almost 250 years after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III touched down in Washington on Monday, April 27, with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight.