The new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has met with the King as part of his first trip abroad since he was appointed last week.
Carney travelled to Paris on Monday morning where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and is expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer later in the evening.
After arriving in London, Carney was greeted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
The audience comes amid Canada’s trade war with the US and Donald Trump’s vow to make the country America’s 51st state.
Charles, who is King of Canada, met with Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, in the 1844 Room of the royal residence in London.
The King was pictured grinning as he shook Carney’s hand.
They have encountered one another several times before, but this is the first time since Carney became leader of the Liberal Party and Canada’s prime minister, in place of Justin Trudeau.
Carney’s visit to France and the UK first instead of the US, Canada’s most significant trading partner by far, is a sign of the difficult relationship the Ottowa government has had with the Trump administration still only a few months into its term.
Carney has said he has no plans to visit Washington at this time.
Trump has repeatedly threatened and then delayed, significant tariffs on Canadian imports, accusing them of taking advantage of the US and not doing enough to limit illegal drugs crossing the border.
This has in turn infuriated Canadians who view themselves as being a long steadfast ally of the US and have pointed out that only a tiny amount of the fentanyl in the US – the drug President Trump has often complained is crossing the border – comes from Canada.
Trump has also said Canada would be better served as the USA’s 51st state, something that has also stoked Canadian anger.
Carney said Canada is fundamentally different from America and will “never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States.”
But he also said on Monday: “I want to ensure that France, and the whole of Europe, works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, and at the same time resolutely North American, determined, like you, to maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
