After Donald Trump, King Charles Is Now Looking to ‘Make Britain Great Again’
Donald Trump ran his 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns on the idea of 'Make America Great Again,' focused on restoring America's economic strength. Over the years, MAGA became both a political mantra and a cultural symbol, tied to his controversial views on immigration. Trump, who visited the royal family in September for a state visit, now seems to have rubbed off on King Charles, who, during an investiture ceremony on December 9, encouraged a former chancellor to keep trying to 'make Britain great again.'
During the ceremony, Charles honored Sir Jeremy Hunt with a knighthood, who later expressed feeling "a bit overwhelmed and very humbled" by the prestigious recognition. According to GB News, when the Conservative MP revealed that he was working on a book about how to 'make Britain great again,' the King reportedly answered, "Well, keep trying," with a twinkle in his eye. Hunt shared, "It's a lovely moment. Politics is a lot of rough and tumble, but I feel incredibly honored to be recognized in this way, so it's a happy day."
Hunt also thanked the King for his sweet gesture for one of his friends. His late pal, Dame Sarah Anderson, founder and chief executive of suicide prevention charity The Listening Place, was honored by Charles on December 5, just two days before she died. "I thanked him because he visited the hospice last week and gave a damehood to a friend of mine, which was an incredible thing to do because she sadly passed away on Sunday, so he made a special journey to see her, and I think my friend was incredibly moved by that." Hunt's colleague, Dame Penny Mordaunt, who served in Rishi Sunak's cabinet, was also honored at Windsor Castle.
Although Charles, in his emotional exchange with Hunt, likely wasn't referring to what Trump has long campaigned for, given the UK's sensitive domestic atmosphere on migrants, his remark could prove to be risky. The MAGA movement is deeply tied to anti-immigration rhetoric, and while Trump continues to face backlash for it, Charles cannot afford similar criticism, as he is expected to remain politically neutral. With the monarchy still working to repair its image after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's many scandals, even a small misstep on such a delicate issue risks putting the King on the wrong side of Britons.
As recently as September, the UK grappled with anti-migrant protests erupting across the country. According to the UK Migration Observatory, roughly 37,000 people were detected crossing the English Channel in small boats in 2024. Reuters also reports that nearly 20,000 asylum seekers had arrived in the first half of 2025. The influx of asylum seekers led to anti-migrant protests in hotels across Essex, Canary Wharf, Norwich, Southampton, Nottinghamshire, and Tamworth. So far, Charles's relatively apolitical stance has led to speculation that he is soft on the issue of immigration.