Some British members of parliament (MPs) have urged King Charles III to cancel his reported state visit to the United States that is planned for April if President Donald Trump does not back off from his threats to place tariffs on nations who oppose his push to obtain Greenland.
“The UK must not be a doormat for an extortionist, or reward Trump’s behavior with the pageantry he craves,” Liberal Democrats leader and MP for Kingston & Surbiton Ed Davey wrote on X on Sunday.
Newsweek reached out to the Royal Family by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump has made clear throughout the first year of his second administration that he believes the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland, the world’s largest island and a semi-autonomous territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, for national security purposes.
On Saturday, Trump declared that eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland—would be subjected to a 10 percent tariff on February 1 if they opposed the U.S. on acquiring the island, with penalties set to rise to 25 percent by June 1, unless a purchase agreement was reached.
World leaders have rallied around Greenland and Denmark, stressing the need to protect the territory’s sovereignty and respect the wishes of the people living there who so far have expressed a desire to continue as they are now.
Diplomats from the European Union (EU) member states met in an emergency session on Sunday, during which it was reported that leaders would start pulling together retaliatory tariffs to execute should Trump carry through on his threat.
What To Know
As European leaders consider a range of options to respond to Trump’s tariff threat, some British lawmakers have started exploring their own options to apply pressure to the administration and force a change in course – chiefly, some have urged Charles to cancel his state visit to the U.S. in April if Trump maintains his plans.
Charles and William, the Prince of Wales, are expected to each visit the U.S. this year as part of a campaign to push a trade deal, according to The Guardian, with “advanced talks” underway.
Davey in a post on X on Sunday evening wrote that “The PM must tell Trump in no uncertain terms: if he goes ahead with these outrageous tariffs and keeps bullying Greenland, there’ll be no state visit to the US in April.”
Other MPs piled on, such as Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset and a member of the Conservative party, who wrote on X: “The upcoming State visit of HM The King to the US must now be cancelled. The civilized world can deal with Trump no longer. He is a gangster pirate.”
How Have British Leaders Responded to Trump’s Tariff Threat?
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer struck a hard line on the Greenland issue, writing on X on Saturday that the U.K.’s position is “very clear – [Greenland] is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.”
“We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic,” Starmer wrote. “Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party and MP for Clacton, wrote on X on Saturday: “We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us. If Greenland is vulnerable to malign influences, then have another look at Diego Garcia.”
What Happens Next
Charles is expected to visit the U.S. in April, while William is expected to travel to the U.S. during the World Cup, which takes place between June 11 and July 19, marking the first state visit by a reigning British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.
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