Sir Rod Stewart has publicly criticised US President Donald Trump, calling him a 'little ratbag' while speaking directly to King Charles III at a royal event in London. The 81-year-old singer made the remarks during The King's Trust 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday evening.
As the monarch greeted guests, Stewart shook hands with King Charles and said: 'May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb. Put that little ratbag in his place.' The King appeared to laugh off the comment, while Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, standing nearby, grinned in response.
Stewart added: 'Exactly, that's it – it went right over his head, right over his head.' However, royal sources later told the Daily Mail that since His Majesty's response could not be heard, he 'shouldn't be seen as agreeing with the star.'
Turning to Queen Camilla, Stewart remarked: 'I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.'
This is not the first time the 'Maggie May' hitmaker has taken aim at Trump. Earlier this year, Stewart branded the US president a 'draft dodger' after Trump falsely claimed that British troops in Afghanistan had not assisted American military personnel. In a January Instagram video, Stewart said: 'I may just be a humble rock star, but I'm also a Knight of the realm, and I have my opinions. I was born just after the war, and I have great respect for our armed forces that fought and gave us our freedom. So it hurts me badly, deeply, when I read that draft dodger Trump has criticised our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line.'
Stewart emphasised the scale of British losses during the Afghanistan conflict, in which 457 UK service personnel were killed. He said: 'We lost over 400 of our guys. Think of their parents. Think about it. And Trump calls them almost like cowards. It's unbearable.'
He concluded his message by calling on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to appeal to Trump for an apology, which the White House chief later issued. Stewart said: 'So I'm calling on you, Prime Minister Starmer and Farage, please make the draft dodger Trump apologise. Please.'
