Secret offer King Charles could make to Trump - RICHARD EDEN

When Sir Keir Starmer personally delivered a letter from King Charles to Donald Trump at the White House last month, inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit, the American President said the monarch was a 'beautiful man, a wonderful man'.

It would, Trump added, be an 'honour' to visit the King's 'fantastic' country.

Now, I hear that the monarch could make the president an offer he might find tempting.

And one which could help dampen down tensions between the White House and Canada, of which the King is head of state.

Plans are being made for the USA to become the next 'associate member' of the Commonwealth.

The King shares his late mother's deep affection and respect for the global 'family of nations', and sees it as particularly important at a time of international conflict and global uncertainty.

The Commonwealth, whose nations have a total population of more than 2.7billion, is one of the world's oldest political associations of states, with its roots in the British Empire.

Although America declared independence from Britain in 1776, this would be no impediment to its becoming the 57th member of the Commonwealth.

The last four countries to join (Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo and Gabon) have no links with the British Empire, underlining the Commonwealth's role as a voluntary organisation of independent and equal states.

The proposals were made by the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), with the apparent backing of Queen Elizabeth, during Trump's first term as president, but did not come to fruition. Now, the plans have been revived, with members of the society hopeful that the King will make the case to Trump when he meets him.

'This is being discussed at the highest levels,' a member claimed this week, telling me: 'It would be a wonderful move that would symbolise Britain's close relationship with the US.

'Donald Trump loves Britain and has great respect for the Royal Family, so we believe he would see the benefits of this. Associate membership could, hopefully, be followed by full membership, making the Commonwealth even more important as a global organisation.'

The source added: 'The Commonwealth is also a great forum for resolving differences between nations, and the King has shown that he is a natural peacemaker.'

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Trump's regular talk of turning Canada into America's 51st state has created enormous tensions and put the King in an awkward position. Canada is one of the 15 countries of which he is head of state. He met new Canadian prime minister Mark Carney in London this week, in what many interpreted as a show of support.

When the RCS wrote to Trump in 2017, its then director, Michael Lake, said opening a Commonwealth branch in the US would help the two nations 'find imaginative ways' to work together.

His letter was delivered by Nigel Farage, who was the first British politician to meet Trump after his 2016 election victory.

The King said last week that the Commonwealth could help restore 'the disrupted harmony of our entire planet'.

In his annual Commonwealth Day message, he said: 'In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth's remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship.'

He added: 'As we mark this Commonwealth Day together, there is no more important task than to restore the disrupted harmony of our entire planet.

'For the sake of our younger generations' threatened future, I can only hope that the Commonwealth will continue its vital work to restore that harmony.'

A spokesman for the RCS declined to comment.