Trump may fancy himself a king, but it’s Charles who shows subtle majesty
King Charles’ historic move to open Canada’s parliament subtly rebukes Donald Trump’s grandiosity, contrasting regal restraint with populist bluster while showcasing Britain’s deft diplomatic symbolism.
D onald Trump may fancy himself a king, but it’s fallen to an actual monarch (of Britain and Canada) to show up the vulgarity of his pretensions.
Mr Trump is just not subtle enough to have majesty and can never be seen as a majestic figure.
Consequential, yes.
Threatening, yes.
Frightening, yes.
But not majestic.
News that King Charles will open Canada’s parliament on May 27 — the first time a UK sovereign has done so since 1957 — is a delicate but definite royal equivalent of giving Mr Trump the finger.
— CREDIT: X-TWITTER/CATHY —
As Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney said at his May 2 press conference, the king has accepted an invitation to open Canada’s parliament in “an historic honour that matches the weight of our times.”
Buckingham Palace also made the bland announcement on X, formerly Twitter: “The King and Queen will visit Canada from Monday 26th to Tuesday 27th May. Their Majesties will attend The State Opening of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa.”
— CREDIT: X-TWITTER/THE ROYAL FAMILY —
How much more subtle can the British be about exercising their royal prerogative with respect to Canada, knowing, of course, that it will wind up Mr Trump. The US president has often said he has designs on Canada and wants to make it the 51st state.
— CREDIT: X-TWITTER/MARK CARNEY —
That said, Britain’s brilliant subtlety was slightly tarnished by the fact that the royal communications team had to redo the social media post announcing the visit to Canada. The first version used French emoji flags instead of Canadian ones!
GOING FURTHER
Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to undertake a Royal Visit to Canada | THE GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA
The King and Queen will undertake a Royal Visit to Canada | THE ROYAL FAMILY
Sources:
▪ This piece was first published in Medium and re-published in Europeans TODAY on 5 May 2025 under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. | The author writes in a personal capacity.
▪ Cover: Dreamstime/Jmweb7.
