Sources have confirmed to GB News that preparations for King Charles’s State Visit to the United States this year are proceeding as planned, despite recent criticism from President Donald Trump regarding Britain’s Chagos Islands agreement.Insiders speaking to GB News made clear that any decisions concerning the royal visit fall under the Government’s remit rather than Buckingham Palace.No discussions have taken place about altering arrangements for the trip following Trump’s public condemnation of the territorial deal.The US President attacked the agreement on social media, describing Britain’s decision to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as “an act of great stupidity” and “total weakness.”
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His remarks came months after he and senior American officials had previously given their backing to the arrangement, which was signed in May and valued at £3.4 billion.Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared: “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.”The President went on to suggest that both China and Russia had taken note of what he characterised as British weakness.Trump further stated: “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”Under the terms of the agreement, Britain will retain control of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, through a lease-back arrangement with Mauritius.The UK government has mounted a firm defence of the agreement, with a spokesperson stating it would “never compromise on our national security.”The prime minister’s official spokesperson countered Trump’s criticism by pointing out that Washington continues to support the deal, adding that “the president explicitly recognised its strength last year.”Officials explained that action was necessary because court rulings had undermined Britain’s legal position regarding Diego Garcia, threatening the base’s future operational capacity.A government spokesperson said the agreement had secured the joint military facility “for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”The deal has also received endorsement from Britain’s Five Eyes intelligence partners, which alongside the UK and US include Canada, Australia and New Zealand.According to reports in The Times, advanced discussions are underway regarding the King’s visit, with April identified as the likely timing for the trip.Should it proceed, King Charles would become the first reigning British monarch to undertake such a visit since Queen Elizabeth II travelled to America at the invitation of George W Bush in 2007.The Prince of Wales is also expected to cross the Atlantic separately later in 2026, with his trip anticipated to coincide with the World Cup being hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico between 11 June and 19 July.Both royal visits are understood to form part of broader efforts to reinvigorate trade negotiations with the Trump administration.The dual visits are thought to represent a coordinated campaign to strengthen commercial ties between Britain and America.Our Standards:
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