King Charles III privately wrote to former President Donald Trump following an alleged assassination attempt, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The letter was delivered on Sunday, July 14, via the U.K. embassy in Washington, but the palace declined to provide details about its contents. According to the BBC, the sentiments expressed are consistent with those communicated by Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the weekend.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, 61, on Saturday, expressed he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump’s rally” and wished Trump and those injured a speedy recovery.
“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” Starmer wrote in a post on X.
I am appalled by the shocking scenes at President Trump's rally and we send him and his family our best wishes.
Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 14, 2024
The former president, 78, was left with a bloodied ear after “multiple shots” were fired in his direction at a rally in Pennsylvania. He confirmed on his Truth Social media platform that a bullet had “pierced” his ear before he was dragged to the ground by Secret Service agents.
One person at the rally, former fire chief Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two other spectators were critically injured, authorities said.
The gunman, 20-year-old nursing home employee and registered Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by the Secret Service.
Mr. Trump, who raised his fist to the crowd while bleeding after the shooting, told the New York Post he was “supposed to be dead” and described the assassination attempt as a “surreal experience”.
He also told The Washington Examiner that if he had not turned his head away from the crowd to look at a screen showing data he was using in his speech, “We would not be talking today”.
He is due to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is set to be formally confirmed as the party’s candidate for November’s presidential election.
The king, 75, is expected to maintain strict political neutrality, which is likely why the contents of the private letter have not been divulged. However, Charles and Donald have crossed paths on several occasions and are said to have developed a “good working relationship” following Trump’s state visit to the UK in June 2019.
Trump first met the King and Queen, then the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, during a royal tour of the U.S. in 2005.
Since then, Trump and his wife, Melania, have dined with the royal couple at the US ambassador’s residence, Winfield House, in London. They also met for tea at Clarence House on at least two separate occasions.