King Charles’ recent state visit to the United States was widely described as a diplomatic success. Still, one issue continued to dominate conversation both during and after the trip. Now, the debate has intensified after Sir Rod Stewart made a startling comment about Donald Trump while speaking directly to the monarch.
King Charles and Queen Camilla spent four days in the U.S. at the beginning of May. The visit started with two days in Washington, D.C., where they met extensively with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
As monarch, Charles is expected to remain politically neutral, but his address to Congress received widespread praise. Despite this, Donald Trump appeared on two occasions to pull the king into political matters, leading Buckingham Palace to release a clarification.
Trump Claims Charles Shares His Iran Position
During the State Dinner hosted by Donald and Melania Trump on Tuesday evening, Trump made a surprising statement regarding King Charles and the conflict involving Iran.
Although Charles had referred only generally to “the conflict in the Middle East” during the trip and avoided specifically mentioning Iran, Trump suggested the monarch supported his position.
“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now… and we’re doing very well,” Trump said.
He continued: “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do. We’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon. They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully.”
The comments quickly prompted a response from Buckingham Palace. Speaking to The Sun, a palace spokesperson said, “The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”
Rod Stewart’s Comment Creates Backlash
While King Charles’ visit earned praise in both the U.K. and the U.S. for his humor, diplomacy, and composure, the monarch himself has not publicly revealed his personal opinions about Donald Trump.
However, another famous figure appeared willing to do so while speaking directly to the king.
At a Royal Albert Hall event celebrating Charles’ 50 years of involvement with The King’s Trust, Sir Rod Stewart briefly greeted the monarch on the red carpet. According to GB News, the interaction quickly became awkward after Stewart referenced the recent American visit.
“May I say well done in the Americas,” Stewart reportedly told the king. “You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little rat bag in his place.”
The remark immediately sparked criticism online, with many royal supporters arguing that Stewart had dragged the politically neutral monarch into a partisan discussion.
One social media user wrote: “Hopefully he didn’t mean the President.”
Another added: “[King Charles] worked very hard to smooth the US & UK relations.”
A third commenter simply said: “Not funny at all.”
So far, Donald Trump has not publicly responded to Rod Stewart’s remarks.
