Last week, Donald Trump made a horse’s ass out of himself at Davos. European leaders freaked out, and they were very public in their criticism towards Trump, his enablers and the current state of the US. Trump said and did so many stupid things, but one of the most offensive moments was when he waddled over for a Fox News interview and mocked NATO’s involvement in the 20-year war in Afghanistan. Our NATO allies spilled blood and treasure in Afghanistan, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops on the frontline. In particular, the UK lost more than 450 soldiers in Afghanistan.

In the wake of Trump’s comments, there was immediate outrage in the UK from people of all political persuasions. Within 24 hours, Prince Harry issued a statement, discussing his tours in Afghanistan and Britain’s losses in the war. What happened next was fascinating – all of the Sussexes’ biggest British critics shut up for a second and they were like “wait, Harry’s right.” They bandwagoned onto Harry’s statement and there were even calls to cancel King Charles’s state visit to the US. THAT more than Harry’s statement is why Charles apparently sent a message to the White House and encouraged Trump to backtrack, which he did last weekend. Interestingly, the palace seemingly briefed the press that Charles used back channels to send a message to Trump. Well, now Richard Eden is on the case! His column is about how Charles was wrong to use back channels and then leak it to the press, unlike brave, stoic, silent Prince William.

There was widespread disgust in this country after Donald Trump’s slur against British troops. Speaking at last week’s World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, the US President claimed that America’s Nato allies failed to pull their weight during the 20-year Afghanistan war. He declared: ‘We’ve never needed them. We’ve never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.’

A total of 457 British service personnel died in the war with hundreds more left injured, many of them permanently. Prince Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, was quick to point this out.

President Trump eventually backpedalled, hailing British service personnel online as ‘among the greatest of all warriors’. He praised Britain for fighting in the war with ‘tremendous heart and soul’, adding: ‘We love you all and always will.’

His climbdown is said to have come after King Charles’s unease at his slur was relayed to the White House. A British official told The Sun: ‘You would always expect our Commander-in-Chief to defend the Armed Forces’ proud record of service and sacrifice.’ A ‘well-placed source’ added: ‘It was made very clear that the King’s concern over the hurt had been caused by the comments, whether inadvertent or not.’

Trump is an outspoken admirer of the Royal Family who praised our Monarch as ‘a great gentleman and a great King’ during his historic second State visit last September. The King and Queen are expected to visit the President in America in April as part of the 250th anniversary of US Independence. When the King let his unease about the President’s comments be known to the White House privately, he was reflecting what the vast majority of British people will have thought. However, it’s questionable whether it was a wise move. The fact that his concerns were later made public via a newspaper is even more troubling.

Members of the Royal Family must avoid becoming embroiled in politics and this was, let’s be clear, a deeply political intervention. During Queen Elizabeth’s long reign, her views were kept to herself for the long-term benefit of the monarchy, which could stay above politics.

The fact that the King’s comments followed Harry’s public intervention is another cause for concern. It seemed as though he was backing his California-based son – who has crossed swords with Trump before, just as Harry’s wife, Meghan, has done. Giving the appearance of working in tandem with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – after all they have done to damage the monarchy – is not a good look for the King.

Prince William will, no doubt, have been just as appalled by the President’s comments as his brother and father. Yet, wisely, he chose to remain silent. He knows that the Royal Family wields influence, in part, because it avoids getting involved in political disputes. This is not the first time that William has reminded me more of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, than of his father. And that gives me hope for the future of the monarchy.

[From The Daily Mail]

As I said, I believe Charles’s semi-public intervention (using back channels and then leaking it) was more about the upcoming state visit than Charles backing up Prince Harry. There really was a growing conversation of “the state visit should be canceled if Trump doesn’t backtrack.” If you can cite Harry and his statement for anything, it was increasing the pressure around the prime minister and the king to say something and defend the British Armed Forces. Charles and Prince William were being dragged on social media for staying silent as Trump mocked British servicemen and women, and that was a factor too. Unlike Eden, I actually think Charles showed some deft political maneuvering in this situation. I’d much rather see that kind of thing as opposed to Prince William sitting around like a bump on a log while the sacrifices of the British military are being smeared.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.