The York Politics Review

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By Matthew John Nichols

The monarchy gives us an upper hand in foreign policy – and now has never been a better time to use that

The British monarchy is increasingly under fire. Look no further than the scandals surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the growing popularity of anti-monarchist Zack Polanski – leader of the Green party, which according to some recent polls would receive the same number of votes as the Labour Party if an election were held tomorrow. Arguments in favour of maintaining the British crown usually reference how it benefits our tourism industry and forms a fundamental part of our constitution. Yet, such arguments ignore the important contribution that the crown can and, under King Charles, has made to our foreign policy. Charles has used his relatively unique position as a ‘non-political’ state representative to make real change for people in the UK and abroad. Maintaining a cultural element to diplomacy plays on the UK’s soft power strengths – cultural influence is a large part of our international reputation, as seen in how our poets, painters, and playwrights define the genres around the world. With reference to King Charles’s work in Germany, France, America, Canada, and Ukraine, I will show here that the Monarchy’s ‘non-political’ cultural role helps to deliver on the UK’s foreign policy aims, especially today.

King Charles’s, ‘non-political’ approach to diplomacy highlights the cultural, artistic, and philosophical ties between countries, thus shaping the public discourse. In March 2023, Charles became the first reigning British Monarch to address the German Bundestag. Among other things, he used the example of Turner’s paintings of the Rhine to symbolically link British art to German geography, and then went to a variety of events highlighting positive examples of British-German cooperation and post-war reconciliation. Using cultural ties, he successfully emphasised how both British and German society benefit from working together. It is an unquestionably positive view of the relationship between the two countries and sets the stage for future co-operation in the public eye.

As Charles is a known Francophile, his success in France is to be expected – but notable nonetheless. In 2023, he became the first reigning British Monarch to address the French Senate. This visit was hailed as a diplomatic success and a sign of a new age of British-French relations. On a reciprocal visit, President Macron went on to say that the French love monarchy – just more so when it is not their’s! Continuing his previous comments on paintings, Charles highlighted Monet’s paintings of the London fog. His passion for the arts was further noted by Macron, when he was both thanked for help with protecting the traditional skills needed for the restoration of Notre-Dame and given some credit for the first ever loan of the Bayeux Tapestry. The Franco-British relationship has been somewhat strained post-Brexit, but ‘non-political’ diplomacy allows the King to highlight ties which are more important than the petty squabbling of politicians. For Liz Truss, the jury may still be out on whether Macron is a friend or not, but for the King the jury has made their decision. The friendship between the two allows our nations to remain close in public, even when our governments disagree.

Anti-monarchists might be tempted to say that it is easy to bring ‘non-political’ diplomacy to your friends and allies, with whom you already largely agree on more serious matters of foreign policy. Clearly, I don’t think that King Charles addressing the Russian Federal Assembly would persuade them to withdraw from Ukraine. Yet, the age of populism has a significant place for discourse in shaping policy and is characterised by big personalities (with big egos!). Look no further than the preponderance of national stories which proclaim how a country is, or was, great in populist rhetoric and practice. Both of these offer a unique opportunity for the King. 

Firstly, no matter how rich or popular you are in a republican country, you are ultimately just a citizen, formally equal to those you may feel superior to. You are no king: the pomp and circumstance of monarchy is a life which is unattainable to you. Usually, their attaining status by birthright is used to critique the monarchy as one of their subjects, but when dealing with egotistical foreign leaders, it is here a positive. No matter how fancy your Presidential or Prime-Ministerial residence is, it will still be an honour to stay in Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Thus, since the monarchy is always ‘above’ other nations’ Presidents and Prime Ministers, it can be used to stroke egos (or even tame them) where necessary. In regards to national stories, the monarchy is a living embodiment of history, directly descended from both William the conqueror and Robert the Bruce, and is as such perfectly placed to present the national story. When the King emphasises our relationship with a country, it has more heft than that of Prime Ministers because the monarchy as an institution is so old and the monarch as an individual is so long serving. This then gives us an opportunity to tie ourselves into the narratives of greatness and make the populists believe that we have to be included and respected.

President Donald Trump is one of these populists with a big personality and a specific view of his country. In diplomacy, he is known to like to embarrass the people who go against him and to punish even close allies. Yet, it is no surprise that King Charles has successfully used his unique position as King to ensure the best outcome for Britain and its allies from Trump’s time in the White House.

Trump’s love of the royal family is well established. With this in mind it is then not surprising that the King has deftly handled, and been used to handle, Trump. King Charles has successfully both brought Trump closer to Britain and also used his position to challenge Trump where it is important. The offer of a second state visit was used to instantly endear Keir Starmer to Trump and this relationship then bore fruit when Britain was able to get a trade deal with America, thus helping the British economy.

Furthermore, the personal relationship between the King and Donald Trump helped the UK achieve its foreign policy goals regarding support for Ukraine. After Trump and President Zelensky’s famous fallout, which involved Zelensky being asked if he had even said thank you, the King played a crucial role. Charles met with Zelensky and Zelensky himself later credited the King for having a significant effect on changing Trump’s perspective on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is further supported by reports that the previously mentioned state visit was being used to convert Trump’s thinking on Ukraine and Gaza. The position of the Monarch forces world leaders to listen to them, meaning that even small gestures, such as meeting Zelensky, or conversations, such as those with Trump, can have real positive effects on the world.

The state visit was also an example of how the national story element of populism can be helped by the Monarch. Trump was keen to emphasise how America sits within a British ideological and cultural tradition, extending his nationalist view of America to Britain as well. This further helps the United Kingdom’s position because it will be harder for Trump to attack us in the future without it also seeming like an attack on his own view of America. Thus, using state visits to curry favour with populists can be a useful tool in the British diplomacy toolbox.

Equally, national stories have also been used to publicly rebuke Trump successfully. After Trump’s relentless comments referring to Canada as the 51st state of America, and a tumultuous time in Canadian politics, the King went to open the Canadian Parliament – the first time that the monarch has done this since 1977. He used the occasion to highlight the independence and cultural uniqueness of Canada, and the speech was widely interpreted as a refutation of Trump’s claims about the country. Since the King has a good relationship with Trump, he is able to publicly tell Trump when he is wrong. In the age of personality politics, these relationships are important.

To be clear, populists like Trump are not new but they do seem to be increasingly prominent – we’ve seen Boris Johnson, Bolsonaro, and Berlusconi and that is unlikely to be the end of it. Even after Trump leaves office, we will need a strategy to deal with them – given the risk of more popping up and threatening to make life more difficult for people in the UK (and its allies), whether that is through economic or violent means. With this ever possible threat it is important to recognise that one of our most powerful weapons against the politics of loud personalities and personal ambition is the non-political cultural presence of the British monarchy.

The world of international politics should be more than squabbling politicians. King Charles has used his position to advance a form of non-political cultural diplomacy – one that emphasises unity, moves countries to more amenable positions, and delivers real benefits for the UK and their allies. It is right that we have someone reminding us that the international community is at its best when sharing ideas and art, and this is what a ‘non-political’ leader allows us to do. Charles’ entire role is to remind us of this and to develop relationships with world leaders. A monarchy is uniquely placed to offer something new to world leaders (i.e. literally living like a King), to shape national narratives to emphasise working for the greater good, and to be listened to on the international stage. A Prime Minister or a President will always have a political goal, but the monarchy only exists to represent the country, not in terms of politics and economics – but in terms of culture.