King Charles is said to be taking a huge risk with his plans to visit the US as the country remains embroiled in conflict with Iran.
A Labour backbencher has urged the British monarch to reconsider his plans that might trigger outrage among Britons.Â
Polly Billington, the MP for East Thanet, expressed concern about the optics of a royal appearance with Donald Trump at this time, saying: “I do think we’ve got to think quite carefully about how we deploy things like a state visit. Because of the message it sends.”
In conversation with BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour,  Billington said: “I think at the moment I don’t want to see anything which embarrasses the Monarch.”
Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, also warnd agains travelling to America at this time, previously indicating it would be “safer to delay” the trip.
Though not yet officially confirmed, the King and Queen Camilla are likely to jet off to Washington and New York next month, timed to precede America’s 250th independence anniversary celebrations.
However, Trump wants the Brirtish royal to take the fight for the US as he declared last week that the monarch would be visiting him “very shortly.”
The ongoing conflict, which has inflicted growing economic strain on Britain, may well continue even if they meet.
Relations between London and Washington appear increasingly fraught, with Trump having labelled Britain’s handling of the situation “terrible” and repeatedly attacked Sir Keir Starmer, at one point dismissing him as “not Winston Churchill.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has maintained Britain will avoid being pulled into a “wider war.”
On the other hand, conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has thrown her support behind the State Visit proceeding as planned.
“I do think that makes sense, and it also reminds people that there are some people who are above this diplomatic row,” she said.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, argued that current transatlantic tensions make the royal visit “even more imperative” and insisted it must proceed.
A recent YouGov survey revealed that 46 per cent of the British public believe the King should abandon the trip and remain in the country this year.
