America's Iran gamble – why the Royals could be Britain's Trump card

America's Iran gamble – why the Royals could be Britain's Trump card

March 12, 2026 · 47 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Trump's Iran strategy and the potential diplomatic role of Britain's monarchy amidst various societal issues.

As oil prices rise, the Spectator ’s cover story this week – written by deputy editor Freddy Gray – wonders if Trump’s gamble has backfired, and Operation  Epic Fury  could end up more like Operation  Epic Fail . What does it mean to describe Trump’s plan as ‘failing’? And can we judge him by the same metrics that we have judged other presidents?  For this week’s  Edition , host William Moore is joined by political editor Tim Shipman,  Bloomberg Opinion  columnist Adrian Wooldrodge and actress and campaigner Sophie Winkleman. Adrian, author of  Centrists of the Worlds Unite! , explains why comparisons with the 1930s might not be as hyperbolic as they seem – while Sophie sees logic in using the diplomatic power of Britain’s monarchy. Could the King be Britain’s ’Trump’ card? As well as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, they discuss: if Starmer’s inexperience has hindered Britain’s defence policy; why the decline of the textbook spells trouble for Britain’s students – and the prevailing sense that smartphones should be banned for children; and that, while boasting might be human nature – it’s much harder for those of with…

People in this episode

Host: William Moore

Guests: Tim Shipman, Adrian Wooldrodge, Sophie Winkleman

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Spectator

Books & works: Centrists of the Worlds Unite!

Places: Britain, America, Middle East

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