Key keywords: Donald Trump, King Charles III, Canada annexation, royal commentator, US-Canada diplomatic relations, British royal family, Commonwealth of Nations, 2024 US presidential election A recent claim from prominent British royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has sparked widespread debate across North America and the UK, as he alleged that former US President Donald Trump abandoned his privately floated plan to pursue the annexation of Canada out of deep respect for King Charles III. Fitzwilliams, a long-time royal pundit with decades of experience covering the British monarchy, shared the assertion during a recent interview on a UK current affairs podcast. He noted that multiple inside sources from Trump’s inner circle had confirmed the former president repeatedly brought up the idea of absorbing Canada into the US during his first term, citing the country’s vast untapped natural resources, shared geographic border, and aligned cultural roots as core justifications for the hypothetical move. According to Fitzwilliams, Trump and his advisors even discussed the potential economic and national security benefits of such an annexation, including expanded access to Canadian oil, gas, and fresh water reserves, as well as the elimination of border security costs along the 8,891-kilometer US-Canada border. However, the plan never moved past casual internal discussions, and Trump has never publicly addressed any interest in annexing Canada. Fitzwilliams attributes this lack of action directly to Trump’s long-documented respect for King Charles, who serves as the official head of state of Canada as a Commonwealth realm. “Trump has always held a very high opinion of King Charles, even dating back to his 2019 state visit to the UK when he spent extensive private time with then-Prince Charles,” Fitzwilliams explained during the interview. “He repeatedly praised Charles’ dedication to environmental causes and public service, and made it clear he did not want to take any action that would disrespect the King or undermine his role as the head of the Commonwealth. Annexing Canada would have directly stripped Charles of one of his largest sovereign territories, and Trump refused to consider that.” The claim has drawn mixed reactions from political analysts, with many noting that the US legislative and judicial system would make any attempt to annex a sovereign foreign nation functionally impossible, regardless of a sitting president’s personal views. As of press time, representatives for Trump, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, and Buckingham Palace have all declined to comment on Fitzwilliams’ allegation.