Donald Trump broke the ice during crucial talks with Sir Keir Starmer by talking about King Charles.
The US President sent a friendly message to the monarch as he spoke with the PM ahead of a 25% tax on car imports and threats of wider tariffs on other goods this week.
During the phone call, the politician passed on his best wishes to King Charles, who had to cancel a recent engagement due to side effects from his cancer treatment.
His Majesty was spotted leaving Clarence House for the first time since he was hospitalised for ‘a short period of observation’.
Following reports about Charles’ health, a Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The prime minister spoke to president Trump this evening.
‘The president opened by wishing His Majesty the King best wishes and good health.’
Number 10 has only a few days to negotiate an exemption from tariffs on imports into the US.
Trump announced a 25% import tax will be introduced on all cars imported to the US, a measure expected to hit British luxury car makers such as Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin.
The levy is on top of a series of tariffs set to come into effect on the same date, which could include a general 20% tax on UK products in response to the rate of VAT.
Trump has branded April 2 ‘Liberation Day’ for America, as he claimed the tariffs he plans to introduce will free the US from foreign goods and boost its domestic economy.
But Britain is arguing that – unlike other countries – it has a relatively equal trading relationship with the US.
Sir Keir has stressed he does not want to jump into a trade war, but he has said the UK ‘reserves the right’ to introduce reciprocal tariffs on the US.
Talks between the two leaders are said to be intense, with moves to drop or even abolish a British tax on US big tech firms among the bargaining chips.
‘They discussed the productive negotiations between their respective teams on a UK-US economic prosperity deal, agreeing that these will continue at pace this week,’ the spokesperson said.
Earlier this morning, home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News the government is ‘acting in the national interest’.
She said: ‘We obviously can’t keep a running commentary on different discussions that are taking place, but we have to always make sure that we’re acting in the national interest.’
Trump has now threatened to lump huge sanctions on Russia after his relationship with Putin turned sour over the weekend.
He said he is ‘very angry’ and ‘pissed off’ over Putin’s recent attack on Volodymyr Zelensky.
The President threatened the Kremlin with secondary tariffs of 25% to 50% on all Russian oil if ceasefire negotiations continue to hit a brick wall.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.