The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom suffers ahead of the visit of the British royal family

A year ago, as Britain negotiated a trade deal with Washington, President Donald Trump expressed goodwill for his mother’s birthplace and signaled a positive outlook for the two countries’ unusually close diplomatic ties.

Britain was the first country to sign a trade deal with the United States in May 2025, and despite political differences with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the left-wing Labor Party leader and former human rights lawyer, enjoyed an exceptionally good relationship with the White House and its volatile leader.

But a year later, things look different.

The president’s tariff policies, provocative threats against Greenland (a semi-autonomous region of NATO ally Denmark), and war with Iran are testing old alliances.

President Trump has criticized NATO allies for not supporting military operations against Iran and has singled out the United Kingdom in particular, disparaging its military, domestic and foreign policies, and questioning its loyalty.

Even as King Charles III and Queen Camilla prepare for a state visit to the United States at the end of April, President Trump warned this week that a trade deal that secured Britain a basic 10% import tariff could be scrapped.

“We gave them a good trade deal, better than I had to do. You can always change it. But they have a lot of problems, so we gave them a very good trade deal,” Trump told Sky News, adding that although he liked Starmer, the US-UK “special relationship” was “better than it was before”.

“It’s sad,” President Trump said.

Britain prefers to describe its relationship with the United States as a “special relationship,” a term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946. At times, the relationship seemed unusually strong in recent history, building on strong personal relationships with Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, such as during the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush presidencies, respectively.

“What about the relationship? The relationship is, when we asked them for help, they weren’t there. When we needed them, they weren’t there. When we didn’t need them, they weren’t there. And they still aren’t there,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

But this week he described the king as a “wonderful person” and a “friend” whom he respects “hugely”.

However, Sky News noted that the monarch’s visit will take place in accordance with instructions from the British government.

Mr Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said Britain would not “get drawn into” the Iran war, which is unpopular among European leaders.

Starmer doubled down on his position on Wednesday when asked to comment on President Trump’s threat to pull out of the trade deal, telling MPs he was “not going to bow down” to pressure from the White House. His comments came ahead of Friday, when Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open to commercial traffic during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

“I’m not convinced that this conflict has made the world a safer place,” Reeves said earlier this week when asked about the war on CNBC’s U.S. Investment Forum. “For the past six weeks, it has not been clear what exactly the objectives of this conflict are,” she added.

She called the war a “mistake.”

President Trump views Europe’s reluctance to support military operations in Iran as disloyal and ungrateful, especially in the context of U.S. support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Britain and other European countries are frustrated that their economies will be hit further by tariffs and the Ukraine war.

Mr Starmer, Mr Reeves and the Bank of England were betting that the economy would begin to recover as persistent inflationary pressures finally subsided and interest rates fell, making it easier for households and businesses to live.

But President Trump’s war against Iran has had its rewards. The UK is a net importer of energy, and soaring global energy prices caused by the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz will be a major blow to the UK economy.

“First and foremost on my mind are the families and businesses in the United Kingdom who are having to deal with higher prices and higher borrowing costs today because of this conflict,” Reeves told CNBC’s Sarah Eisen on Wednesday.

He said the UK felt very strongly that “easing tensions is now a key priority so that we can reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allow ships to travel freely and safely through the Strait, get oil and gas back into global markets, and start reducing interest rates (on borrowing costs) that have risen over the past six weeks.”

Mr Reeves said the US and UK still had a “very good relationship”, adding: “We don’t necessarily agree on everything.”

The British government will hope that the royal visit, ordered by the British government, will iron out any wrinkles in the relationship. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said this week that the trip would recognize “the challenges facing the UK, the US and our allies around the world”.

“This visit is an opportunity to reaffirm and renew our bilateral relationship as we jointly address these challenges in line with the UK’s national interests.”