US President Donald Trump gave a three-word warning to King Charles III about Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a lip reader
07:46, 28 Apr 2026Updated 17:36, 28 Apr 2026
Donald Trump is said to have given a three-word warning to King Charles about Vladimir Putin(Image: AP)
Donald Trump gave a three-word warning to King Charles about Vladimir Putin, according to a lip reader.
The King and Queen Camilla received a warm welcome at the White House on the first day of their four-day state visit to the US, which comes at a time of strained relations between the UK and US over the Iran war.
When President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted the royal couple on the White House South Lawn, Trump appeared to whisper a few remarks to the King about the conflict in Iran and the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday.
Their initial exchange was not audible to cameras filming the greeting. However, lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that Trump referred to Saturday’s shooting and his recent talks with the Russian president.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House before afternoon tea on Monday(Image: Getty Images)
“This shooting …” Trump appeared to say. “I’d rather not stand about here too long,” the King appeared to respond. “I feel I shouldn’t be here.”
Hickling said Trump then asked whether the King was okay, adding: “It’s not a good thing. I wasn’t prepared, but now I am prepared.” Trump then appeared to change the subject, telling the King he had been in contact with the Russian president.
“So right now, I am talking to Putin,” Trump supposedly said, adding: “He wants war.”
According to Hickling, the King appeared to suggest continuing the discussion later. Trump is then said to have continued: “I’ve got a feeling… if he did what he said, he will wipe out the population.” The monarch attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere once more, supposedly replying: “Another time.”
On Tuesday, the King is expected to use a speech to Congress, where he will describe the story of the UK and US since America’s independence as “one of the greatest alliances in human history”, in which the two nations have found ways to “come together”.
US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit the White House garden and bee hive on the South Lawn(Image: Getty Images)
His address to both Houses on the second day of his state visit is likely to be seen as an acknowledgment of tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Charles will also stress that defending common ideals is “crucial for liberty and equality”, as is the rule of law, which lies at the heart of both nations’ democratic traditions and economic prosperity.
He is also expected to make brief reference to the shooting on Saturday and, in a show of solidarity, offer “the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States” on the 250th anniversary of American independence.
It is only the second time a British monarch has addressed a joint meeting of Congress, the first being Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.