The “Brexit” vote was held in 2016, almost seven full years ago. The Tories refused to take a mulligan on the vote, and instead the Tories put the country through an endless cycle of come-and-go prime ministers, all promising to fix the Brexit issue for good and get some kind of beneficial deal with the European Union whilst also doing some kind of hardline Brexit. Currently, the British economy is suffering – there are food shortages, an energy crisis, a cost of living crisis and a big chunk of all of that can be sourced back to Brexit. Since David Cameron (who called for the Brexit vote in the first place), Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have all come and gone and now y’all have got Rishi Sunak, who seems like a slick Tory money man.
Enter King Charles, not even six full months into his reign. We don’t exactly know what Charles thinks of Brexit, but his mother was all for it, so who knows. We do know that Charles was fine with being used as a Tory political prop on Monday as he hosted the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Buckingham Palace.
Less than six months into his reign, King Charles is at the center of a Brexity political storm. The U.K. monarch’s meeting Monday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — on the day a long-awaited deal to put months of wrangling over post-Brexit trade was struck — sparked swift fury among Euroskeptic politicians, who saw it as a crude attempt to bump them into backing an agreement.
“I cannot quite believe that No10 would ask HM the King to become involved in the finalising of a deal as controversial as this one,” tweeted Northern Ireland’s former First Minister Arlene Foster. The “crass” move would, she said, “go down very badly” in Northern Ireland.
The U.K. sovereign is, according to the unwritten British constitution, meant to represent the whole country and steer well clear of politics (although as prince of Wales, Charles was seen to have sailed close to the wind).
Both No. 10 Downing Street and the European Commission stressed that von der Leyen’s visit was separate from talks on the Northern Ireland protocol. The BBC and the Daily Mail both reported that the pair, who have met before, would discuss climate change and the war in Ukraine. A European Commission spokesperson said von der Leyen’s meeting with the king was “not part” of the Brexit protocol talks, and instead on “separate tracks of discussion.”
But the move came on a day of highly-choreographed political theater, including a joint press conference between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and von der Leyen in Windsor, home to royal residence Windsor Palace. Brexiteers were quick to make what they saw as a link, and trained their fire on No. 10.
“I think the sovereign should only be involved when things have been completed and accepted,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former Cabinet minister, told broadcaster GB News on Monday morning.
It’s not simply about who met whom and when and where, it’s also about who set up the meeting and who invited whom. It’s pass-the-buck time over in England, with 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace now briefing against each other about who set this up. The palace says that Downing Street asked Charles to play host (perhaps for some soft-power diplomacy over tea), while Downing Street is briefing the media that Charles went off and did this on his own.
Personally, while I think Charles was probably overeager to dabble in politics, I doubt he would have invited the president of the EU to the palace without the express request and permission of Downing Street. I’m not taking Charles’s side or anything, but this is a political hot potato and it says something about Charles that Downing Street thinks nothing of letting him get burned. That never would have happened with QEII.
When in a hole…
Buckingham Palace – Charles acted on government advice.
Downing Street – fundamentally a decision for the King.
This evening – it’s all the EU’s fault. pic.twitter.com/omZRDJNQuT
— Peter Hunt (@_PeterHunt) February 27, 2023
It was an honour and a pleasure meeting His Majesty The King, Charles III, at Windsor Castle.
We discussed the joint challenges the EU and UK face as historic partners, and our joint duties:
unwavering support for Ukraine and fighting global climate change. pic.twitter.com/8qos5Bzv35
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 27, 2023
The King this afternoon held an Audience with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/zPrYSiqOG9
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 27, 2023
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Buckingham Palace.
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- King Charles III puzzle box made in Jordan during a visit to the newly-renovated Leighton House museum in London, to hear about the artistic partnership with Turquoise Mountain, the charity founded by the then Prince of Wales to preserve and develop traditional craft practices across Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the Middle East. Featuring: King Charles Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 09 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III visits The Felix Project in Poplar, east London. The Felix Project is London’s largest food redistribution charity and works to provide meals to some of the capital’s most vunerable people. His Royal Highness was shown around the facilities by CEO Charlotte Hill and spoke with staff and volunteers before unveiling a freezer which will be given to the local community. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2023 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
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- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets EU President Ursula von der Leyen, at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel in Englefield Green, Windsor, Berkshire, ahead of a meeting to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol and the “range of complex challenges” around the Brexit treaty. Featuring: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets EU President Ursula von der Leyen Where: Windsor, England, United Kingdom When: 27 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets EU President Ursula von der Leyen, at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel in Englefield Green, Windsor, Berkshire, ahead of a meeting to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol and the “range of complex challenges” around the Brexit treaty. Featuring: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets EU President Ursula von der Leyen Where: Windsor, England, United Kingdom When: 27 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
As my late Granny used to say “oh honey, that ain’t gonna come clean in the wash”
Comforting to know the folks across the pond have as big a mess with their politicians as we do over here.
Mine, ‘whatever don’t come out in the wash, comes out in the rinse’. 😃
I agree with the comment Chucky was over eager to dabble into politics. He reminds me of a kid in a candy shop looking in all his life and waiting and now that he’s in …. It more like God save the country, not the king.
This seems like a no-brainer to me, so I don’t understand why Downing St and the palace are so eager to pass the buck. If the head of the EU is in town, why wouldn’t you want to meet with her and exert a little soft power?
Yes, the U.K pulled out of the EU (foolishly, IMO) but they didn’t leave the continent entirely. They still have to work together on many things, including aid to Ukraine and trade. How would not meeting her help anything?
While I still don’t really get why both sides are trying to disavow this, it does tell us something that the government is willing to toss Charles under the bus. I think they are still salty about his comments on asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda.
I really don’t see a problem with this from a protocol perspective 🤷🏼♀️
It’s controversial because of the soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Good Friday agreement took down a hard border between the two but Brexit means that there has to be a delineated border between EU and non-EU countries. They still haven’t entirely worked out how that is going to happen without breaking the peace treaty.
After waiting for decades to become king, Charles still has no idea how to be king. His template seems to be just do the opposite of what his mother would have done. Aside from the anachronism which is the monarchy, his cluelessness should worry all of Britain. This guy could screw up a one car parade.
BRASSY REBEL, do you remember how they screamed that the Royal family are NOT ALLOWED to make political statements 😂😂😂do they think that we are that stupid that we can’t see this for one of the loudest political statements of all!! King of the UK (ish), backs his tory backer over this deal. It’s enough that they turn up at food banks empty handed, (they can’t donate because its a political statement WTF), they donate freezers, but NOT the food to fill them, again WTF. If anyone ever again has the bloody nerve to accuse Harry and Megan of meddling in politics, and they MUSTN’T because it’s a political statement, I will post this bloomin picture on every website and lamppost I can. Hypocrite
Pretty clear that the no politics rule only applies to Meghan. When American citizen, Meghan, urged her fellow citizens to vote last year, all the royals sycophants needed fainting couches.
Well well well, Uschi went to No. 10. I’m laughing my ass off right now. Because unless someone has the receipts, we’ll never know. I wouldn’t put it past Uschi for a second that she knew how this would make the UK look and somehow wrangled a meeting with Chuck. But I also think Chuck is so vain he wouldn’t realize he’s being set up by either one of them.
It’s entirely possible these two men underestimated von der Leyen, many people have done so over the years. The EU is still not amused that we’ve had to deal with Brexit in the first place.
@ Emmi, I agree wholeheartedly that KCIII that he is extremely vain and thought that their meeting would look as if Chuckles was fulfilling his duty. And yet he had no idea what hit him as Uschi played this brilliantly!!
That’s what britan doesn’t get, the Europeans didn’t need them. Then you got all the snide remarks.
Agreed with Peter Hunt’s post above. Britain just continues to shoot themselves in the foot and put the blame on someone else. If it’s not Harry and Meghan, it’s the EU.
I agree. Basically Sunak has a bunch of hard like Tory Brexiteers who aren’t going to be happy with any Northern Ireland agreement that compromises with the EU so they’re raising a stink. The rest of the Tory MPS and Labour aren’t raising a stink. No 10 probably let it be known to Charles that tea with Ursula would be helpful in getting the deal and the King extended the invite.
And everyone getting their knickers in a twist seems to forget the Queen met the Romanian dictator and the Chinese Party Chair all at the request of the government,.
Ah yes, but isn’t it delicious that Sunak and the rest of his Tory colleagues are throwing Chuckles under the bus???
We are now seeing the stooge that KCIII is with regards to the Tory’s and they are gleefully awaiting his next kerfuffle.
She hosted idi Amin for goodness sake!
ANDY, they finished shooting themselves in the foot as they destroyed both of them, they are half way up their legs now and still shooting. Christ how glad am I my life is nearly over, but I fear for not just my, but everyone’s children’s futures!!
Charles meeting Ursula Von der Leyen is a sideshow. The main point of this story is that Rishi and Ursula and their advisers seem to have achieved the impossible and found a solution to the Northern Ireland border problems caused by Brexit. I honestly believed it couldn’t be done. Surely even the DUP cannot mess this up.
Saw a vid where Rishi Sunak was telling N. Ireland how lucky they were bc they were a part of the UK and could still trade with the EU. Not sure I understood correctly but wasn’t he just telling him they were lucky bc they were the way the rest of the UK used to be, pre-brexit? Apologies if I misinterpreted this. Good he fixed something but the lucky part was just funny.
You understood correctly … I saw an interviewer make exactly the same point to a Brexit supporting politician who could not respond effectively because there is no effective response! Brexit, and most particularly the hard Brexit that Boris & Co were determined to pursue, has undeniably made trade between the U.K. and EU countries more difficult, as well as having other unfortunate consequences. Such a small majority in favour of leaving – 52% leave, 48% remain – so much disorder as a result. But that’s democracy.
It’s embarrassing the way he’s selling it – its basically what the whole country had pre Brexit. Personally its only a matter of time before this agreement is extended to the rest of the UK and will be done by stealth, it’s the Tory way. They’ve basically been privatising the NHS for years that way.
The Brexiters haven’t yet cottoned onto the fact that we will, in one way or another, end up being part of the EU again.
But will the EU just let them be part of it again?
Richer countries have to pay a lot of money to be a full member of the EU. In 2020 the UK paid in around €17 billion according to the statista.com website. A snip compared to the €28 billion paid in by Germany and the €23 billion paid in by France but still a lot of money. Losing that will mean a drop in income for the EU. You could argue that the EU would welcome the U.K. and that money back. But no one, not even Keir Starmer and the Labour Party, is talking about going back in at the moment.
Yes, this is the point. With so much rumbling about independence, the government had to show they could get something done. And the Queen may have been for Brexit, but she certainly wasn’t for the break-up of the UK.
Somehow the DUP will find away to mess this up. They’re the worst.
I feel sorry for the people who voted ‘remain’, but not so much for the others.
They had a big mouth, talking shit about other European countries and did not realize that a big part of their wealth was thanks to them being in the EU. Now it’s falling back into the kind of crappy situation I used to associate with the UK when I was young.
Dumbest were the Brexit voters who were actually protected by EU-laws or rules and didn’t realize that.
Also, Scotland welcome to join the EU if they seperate. Most Scottish people voted remain.
Right, it sounds just like MGT over here and the magas acting like they would love to secede not realizing that those large red portions of the country are rural and supported by the money brought in by the blue urban areas, on top of everything else they benefit from in the blue areas like hospitals and schools.
Flowerlake, personally, I think every mp who stood by and lied through their back teeth about how wealthy the UK was going to be after brexit and that it would mean an extra £35, 000,000 a week for the NHS should NEVER be allowed to hold any kind of public office again!
Here’s hoping Scotland and Northern Ireland finally make the moves to leave the UK now.
Don’t forget Wales! We want to be free of Westminster too.
But what would the Prince & Princess of Wales do if that happened @ POLLY Wouldn’t you feel bereft if you lost them and all the amazingly wonderful things they do for the people of Wales 😂🤣.
Conservative England is a mess at this point. It’s media bread and circuses with Harry and Meghan at the forefront. If that doesn’t work blame Scotland, Ireland, or the EU at large, and if that doesn’t work then it’s blame the monarchy. The problem is the common denominator is the Tories. We’ll see just how corrupt England is because it sounds like there will be a Tory wipeout in the next general election. Problem is, I genuinely believe the last general election was tampered with in England.
There’s no way Rishi Sunak didn’t set this up. Charles is a lot of things but he’s not such an idiot to go above the PM’s head on this one. Sunak asked Charles to soften up Ursual von der Leyan. When there was backlash, Sunpak had zero qualms throwing Charles under the bus. Charles earned this though. I hope he knows what it felt like for Harry now.
It is not bread and circuses. It is circuses only. No bread. If there were bread, there wouldn’t be so much of a problem.
@emily_c Yeah, your statement checks out.
The King of England is on record having to explain to his son and wife that he could not afford security for them and the infant.
That same King of England is on record saying that those fancy gold coaches are uncomfortable.
Guess which issue he found the money to fix?
Was he trying to run them back to Windsor great park. I assume no money for security was code for don’t go to far.
Word, K8erade. Even this far into their total failure to lead a country, much less a united one, of many countries, this article says, “Brexity political storm”, like it is a joke. This isn’t Sesame Street, I don’t need to be talked down to, I can see your failure from here, with my eyeballs.
As others have said Chuck wouldn’t have met with her without working with his ministers – the PM threw him under the bus the sec there was a backlash.
As for the EU – people are now feeling the pain of what Brexit really is (food supply issues, job market massively shrinking etc..) and there is a growing call to rejoin which will never happen while the Tories are in gov. The UK is a hell hole at the moment and it’s not going to get any better any time soon. The Tories know Blow Jobs Brexit deal with a disaster and this is them undoing it by the backdoor. The only people who are not going to be happy with this deal are the hard core Brexiters.
The EU would welcome the UK back into the fold but we will not get the half in/half out deal as before.
A bit of an exaggeration to describe the U.K. as a hellhole. There are serious issues but nothing to compare with somewhere like Ukraine where truly terrible things are happening. I thought that the main problem with the jobs market was not that there are too few job vacancies but there are too many and not enough people to fill them. Some supermarkets are running out of fresh veg due to supply chain issues but I’ve read that there are local independent greengrocers taking up the slack and doing well. Electricity and gas are double the price they were last year mainly due to world events but the £66 credit a month towards their energy bills that every household has been getting from the government since October has helped. I deplore Brexit but like it or not it was a democratic decision – the purest sort of democracy really, one issue, one person, one vote – and we need to make the best of it. Hopefully this new Northern agreement will be the start of a better and friendlier relationship between the U.K. and the EU.
Ukraine isn’t a hellhole either btw.
The main job market shortage is for unskilled workers (carers, service industry, airport staff, farm help etc..). It’s become extremely difficult to fill roles with people from outside the UK (both skilled and unskilled) – there are currently 4,000 nurse vacancies alone in Scotland. There was an exodus after Brexit due to the Tories making it difficult for EU workers to stay in the UK under their new post Brexit residency scheme which they recently lost a court case on, it was described as ‘illegal’ in the court ruling.
As for the increase in energy prices – the £66 a month help ends soon and Hunt has already said energy prices will go up another 40% after April – people already can’t pay their bills but hey, as long as the energy companies can keep getting their record breaking profits (without paying any more tax) screw the poor, vulnerable and elderly. Energy companies are using world events to price gouge and they are getting away with it.
Poverty, crime and racism are on the rise – Brexit and the Tories have a LOT to answer for.
@CallyForbes – so your point is that post Brexit Britain is not as much of a hellhole as a country that is currently being bombed to smithereens by Vladamir Putin?
While that is an accurate observation, it is not a very useful one.
CallyForbes, I’m puzzled. I thought the UK was having strikes because of low wages. Nurses, teachers, etc. I understood that the NHS is on the brink of being broken beyond repair and that’s because the Tories want to privatize it. That concerns me, because you know that will mean even lower wages and less funding. Don’t kid yourself that privatization will make it better. Food shortages have been talked about for some time. Sanitation issues and dumping excrement into the rivers and ocean have been talked about.
Perhaps, you would care to talk about these issues, because I am sincerely puzzled.
Apologies for any confusion. I thought I was quite clear. There are serious issues in the U.K. But it should not be described as a hellhole – and neither should Ukraine, I’m sorry if I gave that impression.
Are you sure the EU would welcome Britain back. It is problematic. It’s an island ran by incompetence. The only good thing is it’s separate from the rest if the continent. Nepotism and “buying your way in” has ruined British cache.
How on earth are you supposed to represent the country, while holding a massive amount of land and treasure in said country, and not touch politics? It is, quite literally, impossible. The UK is asking these people to do an impossible job. No wonder they’re all such untrustworthy disasters. They live in a Kafaesque gilded cage.
Charles is very eager to be seen as a statesman and a world leader. As I said before the royal rota better remain quiet when Meghan talks about anything remotely political.
I did not see this post when I commented about Duchess of Sussex attendance or not to the coronation.
Kaiser’s spot on the last sentence. The Head of State should be seen as nonpartisan in all matters.
If it a signing of some important document, that would have been different.
It’s as if the King and his heir wants the approval that his mother earned and managed to keep until the end of her reign.
That is unattainable under the present circumstances.
It is a fool’s errand, the Queen unders-tood that she is the Head of State not a statesman/woman.
Winston Churchill was a statesman under the monarchs rule.
They were not one and the same.
There’s been too much rapid turnover of key people on both the government side and the monarchy side. Inertia and institutional-knowledge are gone and now coordination is compromised. Buckle up Brits. This is going to be a tumultuous decade.
I think Charles wanted to see The EU presdient and put it to Rishi that he could do the deal at Windsor. Why? Guess where Invictus is this year? Germany and who would like to go to it or have a Royal Visit at the same time to get PR coverage? The King and Queen ‘of not so’ Great Britain.
What a tangled webb…………………………………….
I hope Meghan and Harry go to the Coronation ceremony looking fabulous and leave as Camilla’s is crowned as there is an emergency at Frogmore with one of the children. Go and see Well child with the children and then off to Portugal to see Eugenie and have a break with family to celebrate Archie’s birthday. Sure the Royals and Press will be ok with that…ha ha.
I’ve been saying: Charles’ isn’t going to listen to no. 10 or any MP at any point, He will take their counsel & do what he wants to.
Charles is fully aware that the monarchy was put in a box 300 years ago, and an authoritarian government resulted. He knows only an act of parliament can stop him. He DGAF – he is not his mother & was raised by the rabble rousers in the family.
We don’t know what his agenda for the United Kingdom is, but he sees himself as the leader. Where he differs from Parliament, he’s going to “lol” & do what he believes is best for the UK.
Should be interesting!
I say to the Prime Minister and the EU President: throw Charles under the bus!!! He was never meant for the throne–he BELONGS under the bus. Long game twat was played like a fiddle by both the politicians. You’re an ass, Charles. Of course you can f-ck up your family, you’re the father and a BFD. But put him on the international stage and the pols run rings around him. He deserves all this and more. Love to see it.
Rumours were that Chuck was mad and wanted to go to NI along with Rishi and Ursula and was told no.That made him even more mad as he wanted to be seen as the one who made that important deal.King Peacemaker/king big problem solver
I guess he requested Ursula to BP for tea.As didnt want to be bypassed that she was in his country but not meeting him.