King Charles Praised By Rod Stewart For Putting 'Ratbag' Donald Trump 'In His Place'

King Charles III has been hailed by Sir Rod Stewart for putting 'ratbag' Donald Trump 'in his place' during the monarch's recent state visit to the United States.

The singer disclosed it at a King's Trust 50th anniversary event at London's Royal Albert Hall on Monday, 11 May. Stewart, 81, attended the King's Trust celebration as one of the charity's best‑known supporters.

Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, completed a four‑day tour of the US from 27 to 30 April, which saw them hosted at the White House by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump before visits to Washington DC, Virginia and New York City. The trip, which included a rare address to Congress and a symbolic naval gift for the president, was widely framed as Charles's first major US test since acceding to the throne.

The King's Trust, founded by Charles when he was Prince of Wales, was marking 50 years of work with young people. A video shared online shows the rock star leaning in to speak to the King during the event, with the exchange partly captured by cameras and mostly reconstructed from eyewitness accounts.

According to Daily Mail royal editor Rebecca English, who posted about the moment on X, Stewart told the monarch: 'May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little ratbag in his place...'

In the clip, Charles's back is to the camera, but a brief profile shot appears to show him laughing at Stewart's remark. What the King said in response is inaudible, and neither Buckingham Palace nor Stewart's representatives have issued any clarification. Without full audio, the tone and intent of the off‑the‑cuff exchange cannot be confirmed.

Rod Stewart's Long‑Running Criticism Of Donald Trump

Stewart's 'ratbag' line did not come out of nowhere. The Maggie May singer has been publicly critical of Donald Trump in recent months, particularly over the president's comments about British and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Back in January, Trump asserted that British and allied troops had stayed away from the front lines during the Afghanistan conflict. Those claims triggered a sharp backlash in the UK, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and several veterans' groups, who rejected his account of events.

Stewart responded with a video message on social media, filmed in what appeared to be a personal setting, urging Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to demand an apology from Trump.

'I may just be a humble rock star. I'm also a knight of the realm and I have my opinions,' he said, voicing what sounded like a personal sense of injury rather than a passing political gripe.

He went on: 'I was born just after the [World] War [II] and have great respect for our armed forces that fought and gave us our freedom. So, it hurts me badly, deeply when I read that the draft dodger Trump has criticised our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line.'

Stewart reminded viewers that 'we lost over 400 of our guys,' asking people to 'think of their parents' before accusing Trump of portraying them as 'almost like cowards.' He finished by calling on the two British politicians to make 'the draft dodger Trump apologise, please,' ending the clip with a salute as the words 'Take a stand' and 'Thank You' appeared on screen.

Taken together, that earlier intervention makes his backstage royal quip sound less like a random dig and more like the latest instalment in a one‑sided feud with a US president he clearly regards with open disdain.

King Charles's US Visit At The Centre Of The 'Ratbag' Remark

The King Charles 'ratbag' moment hinges on what actually happened in 'the Americas' during the state visit Stewart was praising. Over four days, Charles and Camilla undertook a carefully calibrated schedule to project continuity, climate concern, and soft‑power charm, while navigating the unpredictable politics of a Trump White House.

The couple were welcomed by Trump and Melania with the usual formalities associated with a state visit. Charles then addressed Congress, a platform granted only sparingly to foreign leaders. During that speech, he set out themes that have long defined his public life, while remaining within the tight constitutional lines expected of a British monarch on US soil.

At one point on the trip, Charles presented Trump with the original brass conning tower bell from HMS Trump, a British Second World War submarine. It was a classically royal gesture, steeped in military history and symbolism, neat enough that it almost felt designed for a highlight reel.

Whether any private conversation between the King and the president could be fairly described as putting Trump 'in his place' is something only those in the room would know. No official read‑outs have suggested anything of the sort. Stewart appears to be layering his own view of Trump onto what, in public at least, was a textbook piece of royal diplomacy.

The palace has not commented on Stewart's choice of language, and is unlikely to. Charles's team have spent decades keeping him on the right side of political neutrality, even when his personal passions are obvious.

An ageing rock icon calling the sitting US president a 'ratbag' in his ear at the Royal Albert Hall is exactly the sort of colourful moment officials prefer to leave unamplified.

Yet the clip has circulated widely online, precisely because it punctures the carefully maintained separation between royal protocol and celebrity opinion. The King, the president and the rocker all know the cameras are there. Only one of them seems entirely unconcerned about saying exactly what he thinks.