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Donald Trump has suggested he would be happy for the US to become an “associate member” of the Commonwealth if King Charles were to make the offer.
The US president on Friday posted a news story from The Sun that referred to a supposed “secret offer” the British monarch is due to extend during Trump’s planned state visit to the UK. He added: “I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!”
Britain’s Labour government has sought to deploy the royal family as a means of smoothing relations with Trump, who has long expressed his admiration for them.
The US has never been a part of the Commonwealth, which was originally made up of former British colonies and now includes 56 countries as members.
Canada, which Trump has said he would like to annex and whose new prime minister, Mark Carney, King Charles met this week, has been a Commonwealth member since 1931.
The Sun news story followed a Daily Mail article that said plans were “allegedly in the works to make the USA the next ‘associate member’ of the Commonwealth”, adding that the idea was being discussed “at the highest levels”.
The article added that including the US in the Commonwealth “may dampen the current conflict” with Canada.
The White House has not yet said when the president will visit the UK.
This is a developing story
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