Rod Stewart Puts King Charles on the Spot With Brutal Trump Remark at Royal Red Carpet [Watch]
King Charles faced a rather awkward moment when Rod Stewart slipped a blunt comment during an event for the King's Trust.
Days have gone by since King Charles visited the U.S. for the first time as monarch, but people still seem to talk about it. On May 11, the celebration for The King’s Trust’s 50th anniversary was being held at the Royal Albert Hall, and Charles was, of course, in attendance. He met with many celebrity guests, including Rita Ora, Anne-Marie, and Craig David. However, when he met Rod Stewart, that's when things got a bit awkward, apparently due to the singer’s sudden and unexpected swipe at Donald Trump.
The singer-songwriter praised the King before throwing in a comment that may have taken Charles aback. Stewart said, “May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little rat bag in his place.” Although Steward did not mention a name, it is being speculated that the comment was directed at Trump. The statement was especially uncomfortable since the monarch is expected to stay politically neutral.
In a now-deleted video shared by Daily Mail’s Rebecca English, Charles did not respond to the comment. However, the bystanders could not seem to control their laughter over the remark. Stewart and Trump were once close and even lived near each other in Florida. But last year, the singer revealed that he no longer considers Trump a friend. He criticized the U.S. President’s administration’s arms sales to Israel. “He’s always been a bit of a man’s man. I liked him for that. But he didn’t, as far as I’m concerned, treat women very well. But since he became President, he became another guy. Somebody I didn’t know,” Stewart revealed to Radio Times.
As for the King, he chose not to react to Stewart's comment and avoided the tricky situation with the grace of a monarch. He was congratulated by the singer and many others for his historic speech addressing the members of Congress at the Capitol and for the US trip overall, where he maintained the same poise. During his address, along with a few jokes, Charles touched on major subjects, including strongly backing NATO and voicing support for Ukraine. He reminded Congress that the United States was founded on the principle that executive power should be kept in check through balances and accountability.
Nevertheless, he also successfully filled the room with laughter by saying, “When I address my own Parliament at Westminster, we still follow an age-old tradition and take a member of Parliament hostage, holding him or her at Buckingham Palace until the monarch is safely returned.” He continued, “I don't know, Mr. Speaker, if there are any volunteers for that position today.”
Trump also praised the King in his own way by admitting that the Congress's reaction to Charles made him jealous. He said, “He made a great speech. I was very jealous.” He added, “He got the Democrats to stand; I’ve never been able to do that. I couldn’t believe it.”
Charles is not stopping anytime soon, and it's just the start of his reign. According to reports, a senior royal aide revealed that “...his mind is already on what he can achieve next, rather than what he achieved this week.” It is expected that the King will make more such diplomatic trips around the world after the United States and the Bermuda Islands.
