Donald Trump has instructed his staff not to serve fast food at the White House during King Charles' four-day state visit.
Trump Breaks With Protocol, Discloses Private Exchange With King Charles
April 29 2026, Published 5:08 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump broke royal protocol Tuesday by sharing details of a private conversation with King Charles III at a White House state dinner for the British monarch and Queen Camilla.
Trump mentioned that Charles agreed with him that Iran should never be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. This comment put the king in the middle of a political issue during a carefully organized state visit.
Trump claims King Charles agrees with him about Iran never having nuclear weapons.
“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now, and we’re doing very well,” Trump said, according to The Associated Press. “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent. We’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon, and Charles agrees with me, even more than I do.”
This remark raised eyebrows in Britain because private discussions with the monarch are usually kept secret. This tradition helps maintain the king's political neutrality and keeps him out of public conflicts.
Craig Prescott, a constitutional law expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, noted that such talks are expected to remain private.
“Typically, I think discussions between heads of state are meant to be behind the scenes, kept private,” Prescott told AP. “This was something that the U.K. government aimed to avoid.”
Buckingham Palace later issued a statement that did not directly dispute Trump’s account. However, it framed the king’s alleged comments within the context of U.K. government policy.
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“The King is naturally mindful of his government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation,” the palace said.
The state dinner took place during a sensitive visit for Charles and Camilla, whose trip to the United States followed a request from the British government.
This visit came after public tension between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s lack of support for U.S. actions in the Iran war.
Charles addressed a joint session of Congress before the dinner and received multiple standing ovations. His speech emphasized the U.S.-U.K. relationship while mentioning NATO, Ukraine, and climate change, areas where the two governments have not always agreed.
Prescott suggested that Trump’s comments could have created an awkward situation for the king but added that this incident likely wouldn’t overshadow the visit.
“If this is the only controversy arising out of this phase of the state visit, I think overall this has been a great success for the king and the British government,” Prescott told AP.
The king and queen were set to leave Washington for New York, where their schedule would likely shift from politics to creative industries.