--- title: Buckingham Palace Responds as Trump Claims King ‘Agrees’ With Him on Iran description: "Charles agrees with me, even more than I do," said President Trump at the White House state dinner. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-king-charles-iran-war-claim-buckingham-palace-response/ author: Tiago Ventura article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-04-29T11:50:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-29T18:01:47.625Z article:section: Politics og:title: Buckingham Palace Responds After Trump Claims King ‘Agrees' With Him on Iran Issue og:description: "Charles agrees with me, even more than I do," said President Trump at the White House state dinner. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-king-charles-iran-war-claim-buckingham-palace-response/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea946155930e20c4/69f1ed6cfd89ad70617d867f/GettyImages-2273616263.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2273616263.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Buckingham Palace Responds After Trump Claims King ‘Agrees' With Him on Iran Issue twitter:description: "Charles agrees with me, even more than I do," said President Trump at the White House state dinner. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea946155930e20c4/69f1ed6cfd89ad70617d867f/GettyImages-2273616263.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Claims King ‘Agrees’ Iran Shouldn't Have Nuclear Weapon. Here's Buckingham Palace’s Response ## Video: King Charles hails U.K.-U.S. bond as 'more important' than ever but splits from Trump on key issues [Watch (HLS stream): King Charles hails U.K.-U.S. bond as 'more important' than ever but splits from Trump on key issues](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BHApRdS7.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2026-04-28. King Charles III thanked the Congress and addressed the American people on the 250th anniversary of independence from Britain in a speech to the U.S. Congress that highlighted the bonds between the two countries at a time of political turmoil._  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Apr 29, 2026 11:50 AM UTC  by [Tiago Ventura](https://time.com/author/tiago-ventura/)  ## Tiago Ventura Apr 29, 2026 11:50 AM UTC President Donald Trump claimed [King Charles III](https://time.com/article/2026/04/01/king-charles-camilla-royal-state-visit-washington-america-trump/) “agrees” that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon during a state banquet at the White House. “We’re doing a little Middle East work right now… we’re doing very well,” Trump said Tuesday night, referencing the Iran war as he delivered his speech beside King Charles and Queen Camilla. “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever—Charles agrees with me, even more than I do—we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon, they know that,” he continued. The remark risked drawing the King into the political row over the Iran war—the fallout of which has already notably [splintered relations between Washington and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer](https://time.com/7382464/trump-starmer-conflict-uk-us-relationship-iran-war/). The ‌King ⁠is not a spokesperson for the British government. As the U.K. head of state, he largely remains [politically neutral](https://www.royal.uk/the-sovereign-and-the-prime-minister#:~:text=Find%20out%20more%20about%20the,resides%20with%20an%20elected%20Parliament.). When approached for comment Wednesday morning, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said of Trump’s remark: “The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.” Charles made no direct mention of the Iran war during his own speech at the state banquet. “In the U.K., there is an expectation that private conversations with the King or another member of the royal family are kept private,” Dr. Craig Prescott, a University of London lecturer who studies the constitutional and political role of the monarchy, tells TIME. “The reason for this is that you don't want to bring the monarchy into politics or matters that are politically controversial.” In this case, Prescott argues, if Charles had expressed such a view behind closed doors, it's not "terribly controversial" as he would have merely been "reflecting the \[government\] consensus in the U.K." In Charles’ dinner speech, which came shortly after [his address to Congress,](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/king-charles-splits-from-trump-key-issues-congress-address/) he focused on the importance of cooperation between the U.K. and U.S. “Tonight, we are here to renew an indispensable allowance which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security for both British and American citizens,” he [said](https://youtu.be/TlCto3eYo2w?t=1054). “Our people have fought and fallen together, in defense of the values we cherish.”  Queen Camilla, King Charles, President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump during an official state dinner hosted by the President and First Lady at The White House on April 28, 2026. Samir Hussein––Getty Images King Charles hails U.K.-U.S. bond as 'more important' than ever but splits from Trump on key issues The state visit has [created an opportunity](https://time.com/article/2026/04/24/uk-lawmakers-king-charles-us-visit-canceled-calls-trump-iran-war/) to repair the alliance between the two countries, which has come under great strain with [Trump rebuking Starmer ](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116189925042301817)for not actively getting involved in the Iran war. In a show of the tide perhaps turning, Trump earlier on Tuesday said the[ Americans have “no closer friends than the British.”](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/trump-praises-uk-us-relationship-amid-starmer-feud-king-charles-visit/) Trump, a long-time admirer of the royal family, has also reiterated his praise of Charles throughout the visit. And the two shared many jovial moments during their exchanges at the state banquet. “You recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German,” said Charles, seemingly referencing [a remark Trump made ](https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/davos-2026-special-address-donald-trump-president-united-states-america/?ref=nl-huff-a-occ)at Davos. “Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles [quipped, earning a laugh from the room.](https://youtu.be/TlCto3eYo2w?t=969) Despite the ease of exchanges, Charles had earlier illustrated the ways in which he seemingly strays from Trump on key issues. During his Congress address, he championed NATO, encouraged the defense of Ukraine, and urged the rejection of isolationism. **Read More**: [_King Charles Hails U.K.-U.S. Bond as 'More Important' Than Ever But Splits From Trump on Key Issues_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/king-charles-splits-from-trump-key-issues-congress-address/) While all political topics, experts point to a distinction between Charles covering these items as opposed to directly commenting on the Iran war. “When we say the King shouldn't get involved in politics, what we mean is that the King shouldn't engage in issues that are politically controversial,” Prescott says. “But what the King can do, and has done in these speeches, is reflect on where there is consensus.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-king-charles-iran-war-claim-buckingham-palace-response/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/04/29/trump-king-charles-iran-war-claim-buckingham-palace-response/"},"headline":"Trump Claims King ‘Agrees’ Iran Shouldn't Have Nuclear Weapon. 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