Prince Charles agrees to host Donald Trump on controversial UK state visit

The pair have contrasting views on the environment and climate change

Britain's Prince Charles has crossed paths with the US President Donald Trump before on the Prince's Tour in New York in 2005. AP Photo

Donald Trump is set to meet Prince Charles during his state visit to the UK in early June, where the pair may face an awkward exchange on climate change.

The US President is due to meet the heir to the British throne for afternoon tea at Clarence House, the official residence of the Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, CNN reported.

Although a state visit guarantees a meeting with the Queen, it does not mean sitting down with the Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles and Mr Trump have contrasting views on climate change.

One of the British royal's lifelong passions is the environment and he often raises awareness of issues including climate change, organic farming and sustainability.

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied climate change. In 2017 he said the US would pull out of the Paris Agreement, an environmental pact signed by 195 countries in 2016 dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, migration, adaptation and financing.

Many of Mr Trump’s closest energy advisers have strong links to the fossil fuel industry.

He nominated long-time climate change sceptic Rick Perry for Energy Secretary and Rex Tillerson, chief executive of oil major Exxon Mobil, as his Secretary of State.

During the state visit, scheduled for June 3 to 5, Mr Trump and his wife Melania will meet the Queen and attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark 75 years since the D-Day landings.

He is also expected to hold a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

But the trip has been mired in controversy and follows one to the UK last summer in which tens of thousands of campaigners took to the streets to protest against Mr Trump's visit.

They are hoping to fly a blimp depicting the US president in a nappy for the second time, after it was hoisted above London’s Parliament Square during his visit last summer.

Prince Charles and Mr Trump did not meet during that visit but they have met in New York, and both attended the funeral of former US leader George HW Bush.