ROD STEWART APPEARED to congratulate Britain’s King Charles for putting “that little ratbag in his place”, in reference to his recent state visit to the US.

During a line-up in the interval of an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, Stewart congratulated Charles on his trip to the “Americas”.

The singer said: “May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb, put that little ratbag in his place.”

During the four-day state visit where Charles and Camilla were hosted by US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania, the king addressed Congress and touched on topics such as Nato, support for Ukraine and the “collapse of critical natural systems” – issues which appear to be out of favour with the White House.

Later, in a speech at a state dinner, the king joked to his hosts that “if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French!”.

This evening, Charles appeared to laugh off Stewart’s comment, as Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood grinned next to them.

Stewart appeared to continue, saying: “Exactly, that’s it – it went right over his head, right over his head.”

The king continued the conversation briefly, but it is unclear what he replied.

Stewart then turned to Camilla and told her: “I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.”

The event at the London concert hall on Monday was a celebration of young people from across the UK who have been helped by the King’s Trust youth charity since it was founded by Charles in 1976.

The trust says it has helped more than 1.3 million young people across the UK in the past 50 years as part of its commitment to ending youth unemployment and helping more young people create better futures for themselves.