King Charles Extends Olive Branch To Donald Trump After Rally Assassination Attempt

King Charles III did his bit to keep the special relationship between the U.K. and U.S. alive after the shooting at Donald Trump's rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. But Charles wasn't one of the prominent figures who used X (formerly known as Twitter) or Instagram to make a public statement. Instead, Buckingham Palace announced that the king sent a private letter to the 2024 Republican presumptive presidential nominee via the Washington, D.C., British embassy.

According to GB News' royal correspondent Cameron Walker, Charles wrote the message with approval from the British government. "Everything would have gone through [The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] and it would have very much been toeing the government line," he said, noting Charles' letter would have been deliberately worded. Walker also wondered aloud whether Trump would later disclose what the letter said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke publicly about the incident — where one rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, tragically died and Trump's ear was injured – in a post on the morning of July 14, local time. "I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump's rally and we send him and his family our best wishes," he wrote. "Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack." Buckingham Palace confirmed Charles' message to Trump was similar to the Prime Minister's, and The Guardian reported Starmer also called Trump the day after the shooting.

King Charles' decision to send a letter to Donald Trump following the assassination attempt no doubt showed compassion, but it may have come as a surprise to some. That's because Charles and Trump reportedly haven't always seen eye-to-eye. Charles and William, Prince of Wales, were accused of snubbing Trump during a 2018 U.K. visit when they were absent as the late Queen Elizabeth II met Donald and his wife, Melania Trump. However, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson denied the snub to People, claiming it wasn't necessary for Charles or William to attend.

Rumors also swirled that Charles was supposedly furious with comments Donald made about Kate Middleton after her topless sunbathing photos spread in 2012. At the time, Trump wrote on X, "Kate Middleton is great–but she shouldn't be sunbathing in the nude–only herself to blame." In a follow-up tweet, he added, "Who wouldn't take Kate's picture and make lots of money if she does the nude sunbathing thing. Come on Kate!"

While we don't know how Kate feels about her father-in-law's olive branch, Charles' decision certainly proved divisive outside the royal family. Some X users scolded the king, as the royals traditionally remain apolitical. "Another foolish mis-step by this King. Trump is a political figure and it should be up to the PM Starmer to initiate any contact like this," one person wrote on X. However, others were pleased to see Charles reach out over something so serious, showing a human side of the monarchy. "The right thing to do, for so many good reasons," another X user wrote.