Britain's new ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner, said Thursday on Newsmax that King Charles III's state visit to Washington next week will sidestep politics and instead showcase a "people-to-people" friendship between the two nations on America's 250th birthday.
Speaking on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Turner previewed a packed four-day itinerary and signaled the king's address to a joint meeting of Congress would focus on shared values rather than current policy disputes. He said the monarch's constitutional role as head of state, not head of government, would shape the message.
"Constitutionally, His Majesty is in our system. He's above politics," Turner said. "He's head of state. He's not head of government. And that allows him to step back and talk about people-to-people friendship and the values that really bind us together."
The ambassador traced what he called an enduring alliance from the Magna Carta through the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights, describing the bond as the bedrock of the transatlantic relationship.
He said the modern tradition of royal state visits to the United States began with King George VI in 1939, adding that the late Queen Elizabeth II made four state visits and traveled to the country eight times over her reign. Charles, he said, visited the United States 19 times as Prince of Wales.
Turner said King Charles would build on his mother's conviction about the importance of the U.S.-U.K. alliance, noting that the United States was the only country beyond her Balmoral estate in Scotland where she regularly spent her holidays.
He cast next week's engagements as "a people-to-people birthday party" tied to the American semiquincentennial.
The ambassador acknowledged the late queen cast a long shadow, saying the affection the British and American publics held for her reflected a continuity she took from her father, George VI, and passed on to Charles.
He said the queen met 14 U.S. presidents during her reign, including President Donald Trump during his first term.
Turner's appearance came as Buckingham Palace and the White House prepare for Charles and Queen Camilla's April 27-30 visit, which will include stops in Washington, New York and Virginia. The king is scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress and attend a state dinner at the White House on April 28.
It will be the first state visit to the United States by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by President George W. Bush in May 2007.
A career diplomat, Turner previously served as British high commissioner to Pakistan and as political director at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
King Charles appointed him in December and took up the Washington post on Feb. 2 after presenting his credentials to the State Department, succeeding Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed last year.
"It's an extraordinary celebration," he said. "We're going to be part of next week. It's going to be quite a humbling in a way, to be in the middle of it."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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