Rod Stewart Tells King Charles: ‘You Put That Little Rat Bag in His Place’

Rod Stewart has never been one to hold back — and Monday night at Royal Albert Hall was no exception. At The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Celebration in London, the rock legend pulled King Charles aside on the receiving line and offered some very enthusiastic, very on-brand congratulations for his recent US state visit.

“May I say, well done in the Americas,” Stewart, 81, told the monarch. “You were superb. Absolutely superb. You put that little rat bag in his place.”

The remark — widely understood as a reference to President Donald Trump — was caught on video and shared by the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English. Charles, who by royal tradition is expected to remain politically neutral, didn’t visibly respond to the dig itself, but those nearby appeared to laugh. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was standing right there, grinning.

Stewart apparently kept going, adding: “Exactly, that’s it — it went right over his head, right over his head.” He then turned to Queen Camilla and said: “I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.”

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What Charles Actually Did in America

The praise, however colorfully delivered, wasn’t without basis. Charles and Camilla’s four-day US trip was widely regarded as a diplomatic high-wire act — and by most accounts, the King stuck the landing.

He made history with an address to a joint session of Congress, following in the footsteps of his late mother Queen Elizabeth, who did the same in 1991. He leaned into the humor of the moment — “King George never set foot in America and, please rest assured, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action!” — but also delivered some pointed substance, calling on America to continue defending Ukraine and stressing the importance of NATO, positions that have been notably at odds with the current White House.

“The challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone,” Charles told Congress. “But in this unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or assume that foundational principles simply endure.”

He described the present moment as “more volatile and more dangerous” than when his mother visited — and his visit came just days after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, which he acknowledged from the podium.

At the state dinner hosted by the Trumps, Charles got off another memorable line: “If it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French!” Trump, for his part, told reporters afterward that the King “made a great speech” and that he was “very jealous.”

Washington-based royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People: “Politicians of every stripe saw King Charles in a new and more favorable light.”

Rod and Trump: It’s Complicated

Stewart’s swipe at Trump landed with a little extra context for anyone who knows their backstory. The two were once friendly — neighbors in Florida, even — but that relationship cooled significantly. In an interview with Radio Times last year, Stewart said he no longer considered Trump a friend, pointing to the administration’s arms sales to Israel amid the Gaza conflict.

“How’s that war ever gonna stop?” Stewart said at the time. He went further: “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.”

Monday night’s red carpet moment was just the latest proof that the old friendship is firmly in the rearview.

A Big Night for The King’s Trust

The gala itself was a celebration of 50 years of the King’s Trust, the youth charity Charles founded in 1976 that has helped more than 1.3 million young people across the UK. The evening at Royal Albert Hall featured performances from Rita Ora, Anne-Marie, Craig David, Skye Newman, and Jools Holland, with hosts Ant and Dec welcoming the royals on the red carpet. Benedict Cumberbatch, Idris Elba, George Clooney, and Amal Clooney were also among the guests.

The night had genuinely moving moments too — award winner Sahara gave an emotional speech thanking the trust for helping her after she had attempted to take her own life.

Charles closed out the evening with a joke at Ant and Dec’s expense: “I’ve always wondered whether someone would put Ant and Dec back in their box” — as the duo vacated the royal box and the King and Queen took the stage in their place.

Stewart’s rat bag comment will almost certainly be the clip that travels furthest. But then again, that’s usually how it goes when Rod Stewart gets a microphone — or a receiving line.