Coronations are all very fine, but King Charles’s successful charm offensive in America has truly been the pinnacle of his time on the throne. It is easy to carry a sceptre and orb, but it is far trickier to cement your place in the history books by turning a high-stakes encounter into a resounding success.
No image tells the story of the state visit better than the moment the monarch is seen transforming America’s First Lady from the stony-faced Melania Trump we are accustomed to seeing in public into a picture of radiance and warmth. Her cast-iron drawbridge went down.
Here, we see King Charles the Charmer on full display. His skilful diplomacy is rewarded with a gentle touch on the sleeve, so lingering it would make royal protocol enthusiasts blench. Whatever their reaction, the King appears to be enjoying the interaction too. Amid all the formality, the pair appear to have forged a moment of real human connection.
This was a crucial ice-breaking moment, and the body language says it all – Charles confiding and confidant, Melania grateful for his humour. It was not the first time they’d met, but the optics for the US president and his wife could not be more powerful. To have such an important figure on their home turf – on the White House lawn and in their dining room – is a true honour.
It is proof that the naysayers who had been calling for Charles to abandon his visit – owing to the fractures that have affected transatlantic ties of late, and Donald Trump’s propensity for producing the most awkward of headlines for visiting dignitaries – were wrong. Despite the pair undoubtedly having vastly different worldviews and communication styles, not only have fences been mended during the trip, bridges appear to have been built, too.
Credit: yahoonews
