After claiming that British troops ‘stayed a little off the frontlines’ in Afghanistan, Donald Trump has backtracked – thanks to the intervention of King Charles.
Trump’s claims that the US ‘never needed’ UK troops infuriated veterans this weekend.
He said: ‘They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.’
Just 48 hours after making the shocking comments, Trump made a new post saying UK troops were ‘among the greatest of all warriors’ after King Charles swayed him, and Keir Starmer spoke to him.
A source told The Sun King Charles reached out through back channels to speak to Trump, adding: ‘It was made very clear that the King’s concern over the hurt had been caused by the comments, whether inadvertent or not.’
Trump later clarified: ‘It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The UK Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the USA!). We love you all, and always will! President Donald J Trump.’
A Downing Street spokesperson said Trump and Starmer spoke on the phone shortly before his apparent apologetic post.
‘The Prime Minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home. We must never forget their sacrifice, he said.’
The encounter comes just days after a royal expert suggested to Metro that King Charles could be the UK’s secret weapon when it came to placating Trump.
It’s well known that Trump has an infatuation with the Royal family – something royal expert Duncan Larcombe thinks is due to his mother’s Scottish roots, and his own business interests in the UK.
‘For Trump, the ‘Special Relationship’ is something he holds quite dear. But Trump will be Trump,’ Larcombe told Metro.
The King is due to visit the United States in April, a trip which some have suggested should be cancelled over Trump’s tariff threats regarding Greenland.
Larcombe said that during a US visit, it would be down to Charles personally to ‘test the waters’ with Trump.
‘If they end up having a full and frank conversation, who knows what Charles might say?
‘The King doesn’t have the same power his mother had. But with a president who is so friendly toward Britain and the Royal Family, there is every chance Donald Trump might listen to him,’ he added.
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