This is the King’s chance to leave ‘peacemaker’ legacy he craves

Five years ago – before cancer, before Oprah, before becoming King – the then Prince Charles spoke of his hopes of being a “peacemaker”.

“I have spent much of my life trying to bring people together,” he said. “I try.”

After an extraordinary row at the White House, now, finally, is his chance to broker peace on a global scale and, in doing so, cement his legacy as King Charles III.

The King, whether he entirely chose to be or not, now finds himself at the centre of a triangle that seems to hold the fate of the Western world in its hands: Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Trump counts the King as a friend. Charles has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, meeting Mr Zelensky and his wife twice before. Sir Keir, his third prime minister, sees him at least weekly for counsel.

With the two presidents smarting from a “showdown” at the White House that horrified Europe and left Russian state media cheering, Sir Keir must now walk a diplomatic tightrope he could not have prepared for.

A mediator is needed, and fast.

The King, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, finds himself in the frame.

It was only three days ago that Sir Keir presented a personal letter from the King to Mr Trump, handing it over with great flourish in the White House.

The moment was received as a triumph for the “special relationship”, with a warm two-page letter offering the Trumps a trip to Balmoral or Dumfries House next time they are in Scotland to iron out the details of a future state visit.

“Beautiful man, a wonderful man,” said Mr Trump in response, after Sir Keir loudly spelled out the “special” and “unprecedented” nature of the offer. “The answer is yes.”

From there, the situation has moved with dizzying speed.

The next day, Mr Zelensky, whose country and cause the Royal family has supported vocally and in person throughout the past three years, found himself in that same Oval Office chair in a shouting match with Mr Trump.

Their talks, for now, are over.

Calls to cancel Trump state visit

Calls for the King and UK Government to cancel the state visit before planning even begins are loud and growing.

Sir Keir called the exchange “uncomfortable” but said he had taken the decision not to “ramp up the rhetoric” but to “roll up my sleeves” in response.

Mr Zelensky, who is in Britain for a summit with European leaders, said he was “very happy that His Majesty the King accepted my meeting”.

The King and Mr Zelensky were photographed shaking hands at Sandringham on Sunday.

Mr Zelensky, who had requested the meeting, which was agreed to by the Government, flew to the Norfolk residence by helicopter.

Both men smiled for the camera ahead of the meeting, which took place on sofas in front of a fireplace with a large photograph of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in the background.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the King received president Zelensky in the Saloon at Sandringham House. The meeting lasted just under an hour. The president was “warmly received”, said a palace source.

Mr Zelensky said they had a “very good meeting”, adding: “We are grateful.”

As is conventional, the details of their discussions will not be shared. It is unlikely that much time was wasted in small talk, other than an exchange of good wishes about their health and between their wives, Queen Camilla and Olena Zelenska, who have met before.

There is little precedent here.

Never in the King’s reign, and seldom in the late Queen’s, has a monarch been so publicly involved in global current affairs.

Elizabeth II had her moments: she is often cited as a discreet, persuasive force in the ending of apartheid. She cherished her role in reforging the former empire into a “family of nations” as head of the Commonwealth.

Closer to home, the smallest of interventions ahead of the Scottish independence vote (she was heard to say she hoped “people will think very carefully about the future”) and a historic handshake with Martin McGuinness will go down in the history books.

King dedicated to conciliation

For the King, things have moved much faster.

The active decision, made in discussions with Foreign Office and palace advisers, to allow his signed letter to Mr Trump to be conveyed so publicly has propelled the King into the heat of the moment.

But, his supporters would argue, he is well prepared. His long working life as Prince of Wales was dedicated to what the palace likes to call “convening”.

“Interfaith dialogue” is one of his key causes; he recently hosted the leaders of all four nations, including Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, to dine together at Windsor Castle. He has visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, condemning the Hamas terror attack outright and handing out humanitarian medals to those providing relief in Gaza.

“He is always someone who wants to understand before he says anything,” a senior palace source has said of the King, adding that he is “a listener more than a talker” who is keen that difficult issues are “not ducked”.

It is a little over a year since the King was diagnosed with cancer. It would be only human for him to have considered his life and legacy afresh at times.

He wants to help, he has said repeatedly – to “make a difference”.

His time as Prince of Wales is remembered for his transformative Prince’s Trust and his lifelong campaign to save the planet.

If he deploys those convening skills over the coming weeks with care, his time as King could now see him in the “peacemaker” role he craves.

The stakes, at this point, could scarcely be higher.