King Charles attends Sunday church service in Sandringham ahead of meeting with President Zelensky – as calls to cancel Trump’s state visit to the UK grow
The King appeared to be in high spirits as he was photographed attending church today in Norfolk.
King Charles, 76, is thought to have made the trip to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham solo, as he was snapped without Camilla.
Despite the cold weather, the monarch was seen smiling as he was greeted by Canon Paul Williams upon his arrival.
The royal opted for a long dark coat for his outing this morning, pairing it with grey trousers, and brown shoes.
His appearance at church comes ahead of a meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, which is set to take place later today.
The meeting follows a brutal bust-up between Donald Trump and Zelensky, which the Ukrainian insists he will not apologise for.
It won’t be the first meeting between Zelensky and King Charles: the two met in February 2023 at Buckingham Palace, before speaking again last Summer at Blenheim Palace during the European Political Community summit.
The president described his time with the King in February as a ‘truly special moment for me, for our country’.
King Charles was pictured attending church in Sandringham today (pictured, left) ahead of his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured right: Canon Paul Williams)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured, left) during his fiery meeting with President Donald Trump (pictured, right)
Relating to the King’s time in the RAF amid a campaign to secure jets from the UK, he quipped ‘in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king’.
He will be travelling to Sandringham to meet Charles, after attending a crunch summit of world leaders at Lancaster House.
Zelensky’s appointment with the monarch follows his highly publicised meeting with Donald Trump, during which the US president launched an astonishing tirade against him.
As a result of the fractious engagement, a number of people are now calling for Trump’s State Visit to be cancelled.
The shouting match – when President Trump and Vice-President JD Vance ganged up against Ukraine’s leader to accuse him of ‘gambling with World War Three’ – came just hours after Sir Keir Starmer invited Trump for an unprecedented second ceremonial visit to the UK on behalf of King Charles.
Politicians and military leaders called for the arrangements to be put on hold until Trump has made assurances about Ukraine’s security in the face of Russia’s aggression, with royal experts warning that a visit now risked embarrassing the monarch.
Trump told Mr Zelensky he had not been grateful enough for US support, before ordering him to leave the White House.
After Trump was handed the state visit invitation on Thursday, he said it would be an ‘honour’, adding that Charles was a ‘beautiful man, a wonderful man’.
The monarch (pictured, left) was snapped being greeted by Canon Paul Williams (pictured, right) as he arrived at church earlier today
However, a source close to the President last night warned it would be ‘very unwise’ for the UK to rescind the invitation.
They added: ‘The best path forward would be for Sir Keir to persuade President Zelensky to apologise to President Trump and the American people.
‘President Trump thinks King Charles is a wonderful man and is very much looking forward to seeing him and other senior members of the Royal Family when he makes his historic trip.’
But shadow home affairs minister Alicia Kearns last night said: ‘State visits should be conferred to the most honourable of allies, not to curry favour.
‘No state visit should proceed until the steadfastness of the US’s commitment to her allies is assured. His Majesty should not have to carry the weight of Keir’s diplomatic failings.’
She called the Oval Office clash a ‘degrading spectacle’ and ‘performative bullying for a US audience’ by Mr Trump, adding: ‘Zelensky is fighting for the survival of his people: an innocent people being murdered by, a barbaric imperialist and dictator.’
However the Trump source said recalling the invitation would be ‘very unwise unless the UK wants to undo all the goodwill generated by the Prime Minister’s trip’.
During the visit, Trump is expected to be invited to address both Houses of Parliament – an honour he was denied on his previous trip in 2019. But last night one MP predicted a ‘sea of empty seats’ in protest.
No date has yet been set for the state visit and many sources said it should be put off until the UK and US saw eye-to-eye on Ukraine.
Former Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, a joint British-American national, said: ‘It would be inappropriate to place the King in the position of hosting the President if US foreign policy shifts away from its long-standing support for Ukraine and toward alignment with Russia’s security objectives.’
Dickie Arbiter, who was a spokesman for the late Queen, said: ‘It’s difficult to rescind an invitation to an alleged ally of Britain. I feel the only option is to stall until such time the Government feels is right.’
Ex-MI6 head Richard Dearlove, agreed: ‘They don’t have to arrange the state visit straight away. They have got to let the dust settle.
‘If Trump is that enamoured of the royal family… there is opportunity to try to rebuild bridges.’
Former Tory leader Michael Howard said it would be ‘extraordinarily difficult’ for the King given Mr Trump and Mr Vance’s ‘disgraceful’ behaviour, but added: ‘Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like to try to gain things for our country.
‘We’ve got to see if we can moderate the behaviour of this dreadful administration. [The state visit] may be one of the ways we can exert a smidgen of influence.’
Speaking inside Number 10, the Prime Minister firmly reassured the Ukrainian president: ‘Let me just say that you’re very, very welcome here in Downing Street’
The Ukrainian President’s furious bust-up with the US President has sent diplomatic ripples across the world
Labour peer George Foulkes said the visit should be postponed after Trump’s ‘outrageous behaviour’, adding: ‘The diplomatic thing would be for the King to find himself busy for the next few months.’
Former Army commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, said: ‘The insensitive, cowardly and arrogant approach of Trump and Vance and their apparent appeasement of Putin is a huge concern.
‘I am sure the King will not want to entertain [Trump] who currently appears to be on the side of evil rather than good.’
But constitutional expert Sir Vernon Bogdanor, said: ‘The meeting should go ahead. It would be an unprecedented snub to cancel it and would damage our interests.’
Last night No10 insisted the state visit would go ahead saying: ‘The only serious route to a secure, sovereign Ukraine is for all allies across the US and Europe to come together in action, not words.’
