Roger-Luc Chayer (Picture : Economic Times / India Times)
Several know this, but even more are unaware: King Charles III is the head of state of a total of 15 countries, namely the United Kingdom and 14 other sovereign states, known as Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The President of the United States is in the midst of a tariff war with Canada, against which he is imposing illegal and dangerous measures. What he forgets, once again, is that he has very friendly relations with the head of state of Canada, King Charles III. The latter could certainly play an important role in the conflict between the United States and its sovereign country, Canada.
What is the role of the King of Canada?
His role is essentially constitutional and representative. He does not run the Canadian government and does not decide the country’s foreign, trade or economic policy. These responsibilities belong to the federal government and the prime minister.
In Canada, the King primarily exercises his functions through the Governor General, who represents him in the country. The Crown nevertheless remains an integral part of Canada’s constitutional system, alongside the Senate and the House of Commons.
The King maintains relations with numerous heads of state and government, including the President of the United States. He is also the head of state of several other Commonwealth realms. This particular position could allow him, in certain circumstances, to help facilitate dialogue or exercise informal diplomatic influence.
The relationship between King Charles III and Donald Trump is rather cordial on a personal and diplomatic level, despite the profound deterioration in relations between the United States and Canada.
First, it is important to distinguish Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, from Charles III, King of Canada: they are the same person, but his constitutional functions are distinct in each of his realms.
Charles and Trump have a relatively warm relationship. The most recent example is the state visit by Charles III and Queen Camilla to Washington in April 2026, during which Trump welcomed them to the White House with a major ceremonial reception. The White House presented the meeting as an opportunity to strengthen relations between the United States and the United Kingdom.
But the situation is much more delicate when considering Charles III in his role as King of Canada. In May 2025, during his speech before the Canadian Parliament, the King emphasized that Canada was going through a “critical moment,” while Trump was notably threatening Canadian sovereignty and imposing tariffs. His speech was widely interpreted as a gesture of support for Canada’s identity and sovereignty.
This therefore creates a rather unusual situation: Charles III maintains personal and diplomatic relations with Trump that are generally cordial, while at the same time being the head of state of a Canada currently engaged in an extremely tense trade confrontation with the American president. In August 2026, trade negotiations failed and Washington imposed new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian products, prompting a new response from Ottawa.
Could this closeness between the two heads of state contribute to a détente between Canada and the United States?
Yes, but only indirectly. King Charles III cannot make decisions on behalf of the Canadian government or negotiate a trade agreement directly with Donald Trump. However, his cordial relationship with the American president could allow him to encourage dialogue and convey a message of de-escalation.
In a conflict of such importance, a diplomatic gesture by the King could therefore help create a climate more conducive to discussions, but he could not, on his own, resolve the conflict between Canada and the United States.
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, cared deeply about LGBT rights. Could King Charles also intervene personally with Trump to temper his stance on this issue?
The first important nuance concerns Queen Elizabeth II. Through her constitutional role, she did accompany several developments favorable to LGBTQ+ rights, notably by granting Royal Assent to laws concerning the decriminalization of homosexuality, same-sex marriage and certain measures against conversion therapy. However, she remained extremely cautious in her public statements on political and social issues.
For Charles III, the situation is interesting. He has long shown a sensitivity to issues of diversity and human rights, but he has not made LGBTQ+ rights a central element of his public role. LGBTQ+ activists have also criticized his record and his lack of explicit positions on these issues.
That said, his recent diplomatic rapprochement with Donald Trump is particularly interesting. During his visit to the United States in April 2026, Charles met Trump at the White House and delivered a speech before Congress which, without naming the president, notably defended “diverse and free” societies, democratic institutions and mechanisms for limiting executive power. Several observers interpreted some of his interventions as a form of soft power intended to maintain dialogue with Trump.
Donald Trump, according to several American observers and politicians, respects power and denigrates what he perceives as weak. The fact that Prime Minister Carney, as well as many other countries, are standing up to him can only benefit these countries in the face of the current American hegemony. Many are also questioning the entire American state apparatus, which allows, and even permits, the President of the United States to commit acts that no one would have believed possible before the advent of the current president.
The entire world, particularly Canada and millions of Americans, is awaiting the results of the midterm elections that will take place this fall for both chambers of the U.S. Congress. These results could completely change the situation and, at least in theory, allow for the restoration of better relations as well as a return to an economic logic that had nevertheless proven its effectiveness since the Second World War.
This is an issue that Gay Globe will follow very closely, given its many implications.
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