Trump reignites feud with Prince Harry over speech before suggesting King's US visit could mend special relationship

As King Charles III prepares for his US state visit next week, and with Donald Trump claiming it could help repair relations, stay with LBC for all the latest.

Responding to the speech Harry made during a surprise visit to Ukraine, the US president told reporters: “I know one thing, Prince Harry is not speaking for the UK, that’s for sure. I think I am speaking for the UK more than Prince Harry.”

“But I appreciate his advice very much,” he added.

Mr Trump went on to ask: “How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards.”

Harry delivered a lengthy, impassioned speech at the Kyiv Security Forum on Thursday, saying he was “not here as a politician” but as “a soldier who understands service” and a “humanitarian”.

In a rare input on global matters, the King’s youngest son turned his attention to the US – although he did not mention Mr Trump by name – urging the “American leadership” to “honour its international treaty obligations” in its “enduring role in global security”.

Harry said: “The United States has a singular role in this story. Not only because of its power, but because when Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons, America was part of the assurance that Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders would be respected.

“This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America, to show that it can honour its international treaty obligations – not out of charity but out of its enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”

Harry’s unannounced visit – his third trip to Ukraine since the war began in 2022 – comes days after he finished a tour to Australia with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry stopped in the UK on his journey to Ukraine but only to transit through.

The King and Queen are due to travel to the US on Monday for a four-day visit during which they will meet Mr Trump.

The President has said the visit could “absolutely” mend relations with the UK damaged over the Iran war.

The US president hailed Charles as a “great man” and said the royal couple’s trip would be “a positive” in an interview with the BBC.

Mr Trump also warned he does not think Sir Keir Starmer “has a chance” of repairing the relationship unless he changes direction, including cracking down on immigration.

As well as policy differences, the two leaders have been at loggerheads over the Middle East conflict, with the president deriding the Prime Minister as weak and indecisive.

Charles and Camilla arrive in the US on Monday for a four-day visit during which they will meet Mr Trump.

They will also be guests of honour at a White House banquet and Charles has been invited to address a joint meeting of the US Congress.

Asked by the BBC whether the King’s trip will help repair strained transatlantic relations, Mr Trump said: “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.

“I know him well, I’ve known him for years.

“He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man. They would absolutely be a positive.”

In a video shared on X by the US Department of State, Mr Trump said: “I look forward to having King Charles come. He’s a friend of mine. We’ve spoken and we’re going to have a great time.”

Mr Trump also earlier this week waded into the row over Peter Mandelson and his appointment as US ambassador, branding it “a really bad pick”, but added that the Prime Minister had “plenty of time to recover”.

Asked about his intervention and whether the pair can fix their relationship, Mr Trump said: “If he opened the North Sea and if his immigration policies became strong, which right now they’re not, he can recover, but if he doesn’t, I don’t think he has a chance.”

Asked for his response to the President’s remarks during a visit to Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London on Thursday, the Prime Minister said: “Well look, I’m the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and I make my decisions based on what’s in the British national interest, and not what other people say or do.

“I’m here to serve the British people always, to have their interests and to make sure that I make the right decisions for them.

“That is why I took the decision that we would not be dragged into the war in Iran.

“That is why I took the decision we wouldn’t be dragged into the blockade of the Strait.

“That is in our best national interest. That is my duty. I will stick to it, and I’m not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says.”