The VIP-configured Airbus took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on the afternoon of April 28, bound for Bermuda. King Charles III and Queen Camilla had kept calm and carried on.
Soft power is nothing without the hard stuff. The second Trump administration doubts that Britain is still willing or able to give political and military support to the U.S. In Britain, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government strains to talk the walk of trans-Atlantic amity, but its actions suggest distrust and incapacity. When American and Israeli jets attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Starmer did not send a symbolic contingent from the Royal Air Force. He reportedly blocked American planes from launching offensive strikes from British bases on grounds of international law.
President Donald Trump in the White House’s Rose Garden with Britain’s King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and first lady Melania Trump, April 28, 2026. (Alex Brandon / AP)
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