Photo: Alamy
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, beginning a four-day state visit marking the first trip by a British monarch to the United States in nearly two decades.
The visit, tied to celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary, will include a White House state dinner, an address to Congress, and travel beyond the capital, with stops planned in New York and Virginia.
Officials on both sides have framed the trip as an opportunity to reinforce the longstanding alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, even as recent disagreements over issues such as Iran, trade, and NATO have strained relations.
Buckingham Palace confirmed Sunday that the visit will proceed despite a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, an event attended by Trump and senior administration officials.
“Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned,” a palace spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the king and queen are “most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow.”
The trip will be King Charles’ first visit to the United States since his coronation in 2022 and is expected to highlight both historic ties and modern cooperation between the two nations.
Diplomats say the royal visit could help ease tensions by emphasizing shared cultural and political connections, even as differences between the Trump administration and British leadership persist.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also reached out to President Trump following the Saturday shooting.
Starmer “extended his best wishes … following the shocking scenes at last night’s White House Correspondents Dinner,” Downing Street said.
“He expressed his relief that the President and First Lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured,” it added.
