King Charles and Trump snub Oval Office meeting for 'private tea' away from cameras

King Charles will not meet US President Donald Trump on-camera in the Oval Office during his State Visit later this month. UK and US relations are at an all-time low and not hosting a public meeting will keep off-the-cuff conversations between the two out of the spotlight.

Charles and Trump will meet in a private tea on Monday, April 27, followed by a one-on-one without journalists or a film crews in The White House the next day.

Both Trump and Charles are expected to read prepared speeches at a White House State Dinner.

Trump has publicly blasted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s response to the US war with Iran. Trump has said he was “not happy with the UK” and added “this is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has said that the visit was a chance to “reaffirm” and “renew” the Special Relationship and address “challenges together”.

“This is celebrating a partnership between two nations and two peoples.”

“It is a relationship that has survived many presidencies and of course many reigns, and will no doubt continue to do so long into the future.”

The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Japan have all had recent run-ins with Trump in the Oval Office.

The high-profile run in with Ukrainian President Zelensky sparked international interest in April 2025. Zelensky met with Trump in the Oval Office and the meeting was characterised by a heated back-and-forth.

During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office last June, Trump suggested the anniversary of D-Day was “not a pleasant day for you.”

In November, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was subjected to questions about his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his Oval Office meeting with Trump.

In March of this year, Trump joked about the Pearl Harbor raid by the Japanese on the US in 1941. Sitting opposite Japan‘s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office, Trump responded after being asked by a journalist why he had not warned allies ahead of initial strikes against Iran in February.

Trump said: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?”