A ‘delicate situation’ for King Charles: Royal soft power and diplomacy in the face of world turmoil [Video]

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A high-profile invitation for a state visit. A warm welcome to a private residence in the countryside. A display of military honours worn on the chest.

King Charles, who as a constitutional monarch acts on the advice of the governments where he is head of state, hasn’t made any official public statements on current high-level political matters that are critical for those countries. Nor would he, unless a prime minister asked him to.

But in his recent actions, there could be subtle signals and a reflection of the kind of soft power and diplomacy the monarchy can try to exert.

In recent days, Charles has — via an envelope hand-delivered in the Oval Office in front of the TV cameras by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — extended the invitation for an unprecedented second …