Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday met with King Charles to discuss “matters of importance to Canada” amid repeated threats it will be annexed by the US.
No details of the meeting were disclosed. Over the weekend, the king said he had no comment on Trump’s threats to annex Canada.
President Donald Trump regularly muses aloud during his daily press briefings that Canada would make a “cherished” 51st state. He first mentioned the idea in November when Trudeau went to Mar-a-Lago to plead against the then soon-to-be president’s 25% tariff threat.
While there, Trudeau said Canada would be destroyed by the tariffs. Trump, who had claimed Canada has a multi-billion deficit with the US, suggested if Canada can’t survive without the support of the US, it should become the 51st state.
Trudeau met with King Charles in the saloon at Sandringham House, Buckingham Palace confirmed. Trudeau’s office listed the meeting on the prime minister’s itinerary, but has yet to offer any further information.
The prime minister was in London over the weekend to band together with European leaders over supporting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Trump gave Zelensky a stern dressing-down on live television for reneging on a ceasefire deal with Russia. Zelensky was unceremoniously removed from the white house for his petulant attitude with the president.
Trudeau also mentioned the meeting with the king during a press conference on Sunday.
"As always, we will discuss matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians, and I can tell you that nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation," said Trudeau at a press conference Sunday.
Reporters asked Trudeau if he requested British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make a statement about Canada's sovereignty.
“I know our allies will continue to be there to count on Canada and defend Canada in our strong sense of identity and independence,” he replied.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the CBC any actions in response to Trump’s 51st state threat would be up to the Government of Canada to make, and the king then will act upon the advice of Ottawa.
While Trudeau is Canada’s prime minister (for six more days), as a constitutional monarchy, King Charles is technically Canada’s head of state. The Crown acts as a figurehead, and the Government of Canada acts in its name.
Trudeau boarded a flight headed back to Canada after meeting with the king, where he will spend his last week in office. A Liberal leadership vote will be finalized on Sunday, and the winner will replace Trudeau as prime minister.
