Here are some photos of King Charles on Sunday, attending church at Sandringham alongside Camilla, Princess Anne and Tim Laurence. While Charles and Anne have always been close, it definitely feels like they’ve become each other’s best friends as they’ve gotten older, right? As for Cam, I wish she would give up that ugly hat but it’s one of her favorites.
Meanwhile, Charles got some criticism late last week. Donald Trump denigrated the sacrifices of our NATO allies in the 20-year war in Afghanistan, a war in which our NATO allies provided soldiers and operational support. Trump said this about America’s NATO allies: “We’ve never needed them. We’ve never really asked anything of them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front line.” Britain lost 457 soldiers in Afghanistan. Soon after Trump’s despicable comments, Prince Harry (a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan) issued a statement. Following Harry’s comments, Keir Starmer and various other British politicians blasted Trump publicly as well. In that time, the commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces said nothing publicly. As it turns out, Charles sent a private message to Trump, which is why Trump made a spectacular volte-face.
Donald Trump backtracked on his comments on British troops in Afghanistan after the King’s concerns were relayed to the White House. His Majesty’s intervention is thought to have influenced the US president into a climbdown over his claim that British troops stayed away from the front line in Afghanistan.
In a stark retreat from his previous comments, Mr Trump said on Saturday that UK troops who fought in Afghanistan were “among the greatest of all warriors” and acknowledged that 457 British service personnel were killed in the conflict. The King is understood to have had his concerns relayed to the president through the appropriate back channels, ahead of a planned visit to the US in April to mark the country’s 250th anniversary of independence.
On Saturday afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Mr Trump on the phone, raising his concerns in a discussion that touched on “the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home”.
After the call, the president released a public statement honouring the “GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom”. He wrote: “In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The UK Military with tremendous Heart and Soul is second to none (except for the USA!). We love you all, and always will!”
The Duke of Sussex declined to comment on Mr Trump’s latest statement. However, a friend noted that the president had not apologised, nor had he mentioned any of the other Nato countries that had served on the front line, incurring between them hundreds of deaths.
While some conservative commentators criticized Prince Harry, what was remarkable was just how many British political-types had to bandwagon onto Harry’s comments. Harry absolutely turned Trump’s BS into a major international story, so much so that I’m not sure Starmer’s reaction would have been what it was. The same goes for Charles – he was being soundly mocked for not speaking up in defense of Britain’s military and veterans. It still would have been a good idea for Charles to publicly state his support for the military and veterans, but I also understand why Charles went through back channels. The weirdest part is that I guarantee that Trump only backtracked because he was worried that Charles would pull out of the state visit.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Sunday morning church service at St Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Featuring: Princess Anne, King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Jan 2026 Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Sunday morning church service at St Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Jan 2026 Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Sunday morning church service at St Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Featuring: Princess Anne, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Jan 2026 Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Sunday morning church service at St Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Jan 2026 Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending the Sunday morning church service at St Peter’s church in Wolferton, on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camiila Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Jan 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Yes I agree that trump only back tracked so the visit would still happen. trump wanting to be king makes him want to be visited by other kings. Harry started the ball rolling for trumps nasty comments and I think if Harry didn’t publicly put out his comments then Chuckles wouldn’t have done anything. As for Horsilla’s hat? Well to me it looks like a furry lampshade that she puts on her head.
And they’re still going to sit down and entertain with that murdering slob. Disgusting
Is that stupid ballroom going to be finished in time for the state visit? I hope it’s not and the state visit is just a pile of rubble photo ops.
I have no respect for the British after they entertained that orange idiot after he started a fight with Canada. First and foremost you should be loyal to your commonwealth countries. I hope the next administration makes the Brits pay for helping to prop up this dictator. It is something I will never forget.
Totally agree. And I sure hope Charles was also supporting the Commonwealth NATO countries who served and lost members to help fight U.S. wars to Trump and not just the UK.
@siri – agree 100% – what use is the commonwealth if the monarch does not stand up for its members…
@winterset – I was thinking that too. Canada sent troops and 150+ died.
The statement still contained no apology to Great Britain and didn’t even mention the other NATO countries whose war dead he insulted.
Yeah, Trump’s statements remain appalling and disgustingly inadequate.
What is the difference between what Charles is alleged to have done and what Starmer did? Why is what Charles did considered to be back channeling and reaching out to the White House but what Starmer did by calling him directly isn’t what is being credited for Trump backtracking? It seems as if both Charles and Starmer both failed to publicly support UK NATO troops until after Harry did the right thing with a more admirable public response as a public figure. So why is Charles being praised over the one who did the exact same thing (Starmer) and the man who publicly did the more honorable thing that influenced others to do the same thing of voicing their outrage publicly (Harry)? And I think that Charles going through back channels was a weak attempt when he should have shown more public solidarity to the UK military’s and their families with a respectable and honest response to a very public and unfair lie told by Trump. This just shows that they value kissing up to a dictator more than they do the soldiers and people of the UK. Yet again, the royals are about how things look or sound instead of doing what is right. Speaking out publicly isn’t cruel or wrong when someone openly disrespects you and those you honor, respect or care about. Doing things behind closed doors or behind the scenes with someone like Trump, gives the impression that they respond or react not because they see the fault in what Trump said but how Harry’s and others responses made them look publicly.
I don’t think there were any “private concerns” voiced to the White House on behalf of Charles at all. I don’t think Charles said anything, and I don’t think Charles did anything. Nor did his staff, (except to brainstorm about what to brief the media). But I do think that people in the media and Buckingham Palace took note of (1) the positive reactions worldwide to Harry’s statement (loads of images of the prince in uniform and in his Apache helicopter), and (2) the increasing mentions of the royals’ silence, coupled with images of a host of them wearing their chocolate medals, plus the media’s complicit silence surrounding this, then decided to jump on the bandwagon but credit Charles with the effects of Harry’s statement. Someone in BP. Especially after the Invictus Foundation and Scotty’s Little Soldiers made public posts, coupled with Meghan’s IG stories. The media ALL had nearly identical versions of that “let’s praise Charles” story = the talking points came via the WhatsApp group. It won’t be long before we hear that William also had a bigly input in Trump’s “praise” of UK soldiers.
I can believe that. That contact was never made and the BM is just saying there was.
On Friday the British press were saying that Charles couldn’t get involved because it was a political matter. However on Sunday the press were saying that Charles expressed his concerns to Trump. How is that possible? Did he go through Melania? At least the Palace and the British press now understand what the word “concerns” means. According to them having concerns about a child’s skin tone is not racist.
Did Charles really? Maybe they only said he did.
Because neither he nor the other royals with military patronages publicly said anything to defend the military. Onoy the two times war veteran that they forcibly stripped of his patronages did.
But you can bet your ass they will dress up to cosplay the military at the next Trooping.
I suspect Chuckles may be looking for any plausible reason to back out of visiting Trump. It’s not a good look and he knows it.
Once again Prince Harry leads… the coattail riding on his statement has been noticeable.
Harry made them look bad, not to mention Charles hadn’t yet decided which way he was going to dither. Perhaps Charles is still wringing his hands with indecision but the media feels they gotta make him look good.
I would like to know what was the actual impetus for Trump making the statement about UK soldiers. The government would have to tell Charles to do that; I’m just not convinced that is what happened.