Overview
- King Charles III begins a four-day U.S. visit on Monday that includes a rare speech to Congress, the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
- Reuters reported Friday that an internal Pentagon email listed options to punish reluctant allies in the war with Iran, including suspending U.S. backing for the U.K. over the Falkland Islands, which Argentina also claims.
- Downing Street downplayed the leak and restated the U.K. position that sovereignty rests with Britain and that the islanders’ right to self‑determination comes first.
- In a BBC interview Thursday, President Trump praised the King as “a fantastic man” and said the visit could repair ties after months of clashes with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Iran, North Sea drilling, and immigration.
- The trip faces pressure from the Epstein case tied to Prince Andrew, with Buckingham Palace rejecting a U.S. lawmaker’s request for the King to meet victims, and some MPs urging a delay that a poll found 48% of Britons would support.