Inside Trump’s state dinner for the King, where Australia took centre stage
King Charles III hosted a state dinner at the White House that highlighted the U.S.-U.K. relationship while drawing attention to Australia's role through the AUKUS pact. The King presented President Donald Trump with the bell from the WWII-era submarine HMS Trump, which had strong ties to Australia, calling it an 'AUKUS predecessor'. The gesture was well-received, with the moment promoted by the Trump administration on social media.
- ▪King Charles gave President Trump the original bell from the HMS Trump, a British submarine that operated extensively with Australia during WWII.
- ▪Charles explicitly linked the gift to the AUKUS alliance, positioning it as a historical forerunner to the modern trilateral pact.
- ▪The King compared AUKUS to NATO, emphasizing its importance for technological and military cooperation amid global challenges.
- ▪The state dinner was an intimate event with about 100 guests, including Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt.
- ▪Trump's administration highlighted the gift exchange by sharing it on the White House’s Rapid Response account on X.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.