Thankless task awaits Charles as soft power of crown meets mercurial Trump (opens in new tab)

Will the president’s reverence for royalty ease transatlantic tensions or will his protocol-smashing predilection prevail?Some expect a masterclass in soft power. Others warn of a brutal humiliation. Few in the US will envy King Charles, a royal whose entire life has been governed by protocol, next week when he faces a man who glories in smashing it.The British king will travel to Washington for a private tea and state dinner with Donald Trump at a moment when the “special relationship” has b...