King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House on Monday, marking the first such visit by a British monarch in nearly two decades.
The trip comes at a particularly fraught time: two days after an alleged assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump, and eight weeks into the US’ war against Iran.
London’s refusal to join the offensive has irked Trump, and “the special relationship looks worse than at any point” since the 1950s, The Economist argued.
Beyond the pomp and pageantry of a state visit, the UK must first “be honest about its shortcomings” — including the need to spend more on defense — to repair its relationship with Trump.