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1-on-1 with the UK ambassador to U.S. ahead of the King's visit 98%
4/24/2026, 12:24:42 AM
BS Summary: This video contains 27 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Negativity Bias, and Appeal to Authority, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 31.2% saturation with 278 hits. Analysis detected 1,810 faulty-reasoning hits from 891 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 96.3% and a BS Rank of 98% (481 of 16,813 videos). This video is worse (more manipulative) than 97.10% of the video peer group.
Meet Sir Christian Turner, the United Kingdom's new ambassador to the United States.
I sat down with him today as he preps for a big test for him and the embassy.
King Charles' first state visit since he ascended to the throne.
>> Talk to me about Coming in the middle of war, relationships a little difficult, but there is something about a state visit that is very special.
His majesty is as head of state, his relationship with the president, which is a very personal one.
The deep affection and respect they hold.
This is a moment in the 250th year, this sort of hottest of years, to celebrate that friendship, that partnership, this alliance, which let's be fair, started with a small disagreement in 1776.
Yeah, a small disagreement.
It was kind of a divorce 250 years ago.
We'll skip over that lightly.
Small matter of burning down the White House, let's skip over that.
The point is that we've had many moments where the policies between governments may have differed or not, but the the the deeper alliance is enduring.
The ambassador is filling a void steeped in controversy after the firing and arrest of his predecessor, Peter Mandelson, accused of disclosing trade secrets to his friend, Jeffrey Epstein.
Mandelson denies wrongdoing, but the scandal now reaching the highest levels of government in the UK.
I asked Turner about it, and he was true to his profession, diplomatic.
It's a difficult time for your government, for your prime minister, with the overhang, the shadow of this scandal still haunting him in terms of the security clearance for your predecessor.
Um, how does that affect this visit, and should it?
My job is to be here focusing on sustaining and advancing this extraordinary important relationship that is absolutely in in my national interest, in our joint in our joint interest.
And I know this visit next week is going to be an incredibly important part of that.
And the king's visit comes as President Trump has slammed Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not supporting the US war against Iran.
There was a clear disagreement in advance of the conflict where that that original offensive preemptive request for basing was made and was refused by the government that I serve.
24 hours later, the British did allow US bombers to fly from their bases.
And now Starmer is organizing a coalition to demine the Strait of Hormuz once it reopens.
Why didn't the president consult the Brits before going in in the first place about some of the perils of this kind of operation?
>> We had very deep and close conversations, including with this administration, on the on the nature of the Iranian regime, on what we were able to understand from that fact of having an embassy on the ground in in Tehran.
So, those conversations are still close and ongoing as we all try and work out how best to bring this this war to an end.
Do you have any concerns about the images of a lavish state visit with the king sitting next or standing next to, frankly, an unpopular American president overseas?
Um, it's almost exactly at moments like these that we want to bring our heads of state together, building on that deep history, that partnership, that that mutual affection to almost step back from the moment and step up and remind ourselves of of the the deep deep ties that bind.
The Epstein scandal, of course, did touch the palace.
He's being praised by these survivors of the Epstein scandal for taking action against his brother, Andrew.
And they want to meet with him and show the respect and and gratitude that he has taken more action than the American officials have.
Would he meet with them?
So, no, he won't.
And look, His Majesty the King has been very clear on this, as indeed my prime minister has.
And first and foremost, our thoughts are with the victims of these crimes.
That's where our focus should absolutely be.
It will be King Charles' 20th visit to the US.
His mother, Queen Elizabeth, met 14 American presidents in her long reign, a world record for a head of state.
And Andrea joins me now.
Andrea, so many historic state visits from British royalty over the years.
Some visits extremely consequential, but not too many coming at a time with so much tension.
What could the impact of this visit be?
Well, clearly the Brits and the United States, the White House, hope that the pomp and circumstance and his speech to a joint session of Congress, he's going to New York, that this will all provide a new start, a fresh start.
The president told the BBC, as you pointed out today, that it could repair the relationship, but I cannot remember another time in modern times when the US and UK government, which is separate from the king, of course, but the government are on separate sides of a war.
They still disagree with the war, and that is concerning, as well as the other controversies.
Andrea Mitchell, great interview, important interview.
Thanks so much.
Thank you.
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