May 12, 2026, 6:35 p.m. ET
King Charles III played a tough observer during his recent address to Congress. Singer Rod Stewart thought he wore it well.
The “Maggie May” co-writer and performer expressed his thoughts when meeting the king during the May 11 celebration of The King’s Trust at Royal Albert Hall. Stewart, who earned the honorific “sir” by being knighted in 2016, also had some choice comments about President Donald Trump.
“Hello Sir, may I say well done with the Americans. You were superb, absolutely superb,” Stewart said. “You put that little ratbag in his place.” In a video from Reuters, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart’s comment and said something unintelligible before turning to shake hands with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who also got a chuckle out of the exchange.
During his address to a joint session of Congress on April 28, King Charles III stressed the need for a strong NATO, the defense of Ukraine, and historic checks and balances on executive power – all topics clearly meant for Trump’s ears.
The king, along with his wife, Queen Camilla, greeted Stewart and other luminaries, including George and Amal Clooney, David Oyelowo, Idris Elba and Benedict Cumberbatch during the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
After Stewart’s comment about Trump, The Times reported Stewart added, “Exactly, that’s it – it went right over his head, right over his head.”While the king’s reply was unclear, The Times reported, Stewart then turned to the queen and said, “I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.”
The king appeared to laugh all this off (even though his face seemed to say, “I don’t want to talk about it”), but Stewart wasn’t joking. The rock legend, whose U.S. tour begins with a Las Vegas residency later this month, has said he’s “not a great fan of Trump.”
In the past, Stewart had been to Trump’s home when the president-to-be lived nearby, People reported.
“I knew him very, very well. I used to go to his house. … I used to go to his Christmas parties,” he told the U.K.’s Radio Times last year. “He’s always been a bit of a man’s man. I liked him for that. But he didn’t, as far as I’m concerned, treat women very well. But since he became President, he became another guy. Somebody I didn’t know.”
Contributing: Reuters
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
