It’s fair to say that the Guardian Weekly does not cover many royal visits, but King Charles III’s US state visit was the most consequential of his reign so far. The king’s ostensible purpose was to celebrate America’s 250 years of independence but last week’s trip was freighted with other agendas, most important of which was to flatter his host, Donald Trump. Washington bureau chief David Smith’s cover story shows how “like a rapier wrapped in ermine, Charles managed to tame Trump while rebuking Trumpism”.
Both David and our veteran foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall unpick the skill with which Charles spoke truth to this capricious and egotistical president and gave both sides of the heavily divided Congress much to praise. It was a performance of high diplomacy at a time of huge tension in the transatlantic relationship and beyond.
But the charm didn’t wash in New York where, as Adam Gabbatt’s sketch shows, the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Charles’s disgraced brother, lurked while the mayor, Zohran Mamdani, brought up the spectre of colonialism in the shape of the Koh-i-noor diamond, snatched under disputed circumstances.
Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home address
***
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | A small town in Germany
Landstuhl, the heart of the largest American military community outside the US, considers its future after Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops, reports Deborah Cole
Environment | A gift of wings
Patrick Barkham takes off for a flight of wonder with The Lost Words duo, who have reunited for a new book on endangered birds
Feature | A balm for tiger mother myths
Rebecca Liu explores why a certain image of the tiger mum – strict, cold and demanding – is ubiquitous in popular culture
Opinion | Antiracists need to stand up for us all
Another attack on the UK’s Jewish population demands a clear show of solidarity from those who march to protect minorities, argues Jonathan Freedland
Culture | Moose magic on the loose
How do cameras capture Sweden’s seasonal TV hit, the Great Moose Migration? Malcolm Jack travels to an uninhabited island in the Ångerman river to ask the show’s makers
***
What else we’ve been reading
Stepping into a usually quiet village pub last month, I was surprised to see it full to the rafters. The draw? Board game night. It seems friendship, community or, as Sundus Abdi reports here, childhood memories of the south Asian diaspora, provide a welcome distraction from troubled times. Now, whose turn is it? Neil Willis, production editor
Louis Staples’ take on The Devil Wears Prada 2 was really interesting in suggesting that its real villain isn’t Miranda Priestly, but the big tech elite. For everything we’ve been taught to feel about her, whether hate, fear or a strange admiration, few can question her dedication to (expensive) artistic expression. The article draws parallels between the film’s billionaire antagonist and Jeff Bezos, exploring how the ultra-wealthy are no longer just funding culture but actively trying to dismantle and automate it through AI. Brave new world? Michelle Lane, CRM executive
***
Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Why has the world lost sight of the suffering of Palestinians?
• Video | Why your favourite brands are suddenly failing
• Gallery | Ready for their close-ups: celebrity passport photos
***
Get in touch
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine: for submissions to our letters page, please email weekly.letters@theguardian.com. For anything else, it’s editorial.feedback@theguardian.com
***
Follow us
Get the Guardian Weekly magazine delivered to your home address
