22 September 2025

When Keir Starmer handed over the King’s invitation to President Trump following his encounter with President Zelensky, I was not very happy. In fact, I wrote to the Prime Minister and complained about the invitation.

It did no good. The state visit went ahead last week and by all accounts it was a success. The King was very hospitable and Trump seemed to be very pleased with his reception so much so that the following day, things went well with his meeting with the Prime Minister.

The well-established routines of the monarchy are suited to this type of soft diplomacy where the emphasis is not on politics per se but nurturing good relations between heads of state so that the relationship between the nations may be reframed in this personal way.

The King is suffering from cancer and despite continued treatment is not letting his illness get in the way of his royal duties. This, more than the welcome he extended to Trump is to be commended. But what I liked best about this visit was what followed.

Having met with the most powerful man on Planet Earth, the King then went to visit a very old woman. Her name is Ethel Caterham and she lives in Lightwater, Surrey. She has just turned 116 and is now the oldest woman in the world.

Like a parish minister, the King was as comfortable with the American President as he was with the oldest woman in the country. Both encounters depended on his gift of friendship which is marked by an ability to make no distinction between persons but to embrace both of them with humility and grace.