King Charles' visit to the US must be cancelled - the dangers are too great, writes Andrew Marr

It came from the Lib Dem, Sir Ed Davey, who said this: “Surely the PM cant send our king to meet a man who treats our country like a mafia boss running a protection racket.”

Keir Starmer disagreed and talked of 250 years of relations between the countries.

But the more I think about this, the clearer it is that Sir Ed is right: After the latest threats by Trump to tear up the trade deal, he signed with Britain, the King should call it all off.

The four-day trip – with a state dinner at the White House, the speech by King Charles to Congress, the visits to New York and Virginia - it should all be cancelled, now, really, of course, by the Prime Minister.

The possible benefit is far too small, the dangers too great.

Even if it all went well, and President Trump behaved himself with the monarch he describes as a gentleman, how much credit would be won for Britain? Some. A smidgen. A pinch. For ten minutes. Maybe an hour. Perhaps, even, if we’re lucky, a day.

Then Trump would change his mind again and cancel the trade deal or further undermine the NATO alliance.

Personally, I wouldn’t use words like a gangster. But you cannot trust this man.

And perhaps to his credit, you can’t buy him.

After last year’s second state visit to the UK, where he was smothered with praise and ceremonial pomp, he started attacking Britain again on the flight home, and carried on at the United Nations, making wild claims about Sharia law in London.

The epithets he used about British policy overnight this time included insane, tragic and sad.

So anyone who assumes that putting the King and Queen alongside him in Washington this spring will make things sunnier, I’m afraid, just hasn’t checked the record.

And the dangers are obvious: the humiliation of the monarch, Trump grabbing the microphone to say something offensive, to which the king cannot reply.

Look, we’ve tried flattering the president’s ego. We’ve tried obsequious. It doesn’t work.

I’m sure King Charles would see it as his national duty, grit his teeth and do his stuff.

But I wonder whether, in private, he doesn’t quietly agree with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, and feel there’s been enough kissing of the rod, sucking up of criticism, and swallowing of pride.

King Charles, your majestic time would be better spent peacefully at home in the garden with a good book…

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Andrew Marr is an author, journalist and presenter for LBC.

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