Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived in the United States for a four-day state visit, the most high-profile and consequential of Charles's reign. The visit marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule and is the first visit to the country by a British monarch in two decades.
The royal couple touched down at Joint Base Andrews around 2:30 pm local time, where they were greeted by diplomatic, state, and federal officials, as well as senior members of the British embassy. Children of British military families stationed in the US presented them with flowers. The king, wearing a navy suit, and the queen, in a pink dress, stood on the tarmac as a military band played the British and US national anthems before heading to the White House for a private meeting with President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed royal fan.
The week's schedule includes an address to the US Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House, and a stop in New York City. However, the long-planned visit has become entangled in a political spat between the two countries over the US-Israel war on Iran, which led Trump to voice deep displeasure with the British government for failing to support the offensive. The shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where US officials said the president and members of his administration were the likely targets, has cast a further pall over the visit.
Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that the king "is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed." After a security review, the palace said the trip "will proceed as planned." Upon arriving in Washington, the king and queen are scheduled to have a private tea with the president and First Lady Melania Trump.
The 77-year-old king, who is still undergoing cancer treatment that began in February 2024, will address Congress the next day – just the second time a British monarch has done so. The royals will then head to New York City, where they will commemorate those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary, while the queen will also mark the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh stories. The US trip concludes in Virginia with the king meeting those involved in conservation work, a nod to his half-century of environmental campaigning.
The government of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping the visit will shore up the future of the two allies' "special relationship," which is now at its lowest point since the Suez Crisis in 1956. Britain's ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, said the visit would underscore shared history, sacrifice, and common values, adding that the approach would be a very British one: "Keep calm, carry on." While Trump has eased his criticism of Britain in recent days over its response to the Iran war, an internal Pentagon email set out how the US could review its position on Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands as punishment for its lack of support, further straining ties.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Associated Press that "President Trump has always had great respect for King Charles, and their relationship was further strengthened by the president's historic visit to the United Kingdom last year." Trump himself told the BBC that the king's visit could "absolutely" help repair the transatlantic relationship. One issue off the table during the visit is the scandal over convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Royal sources have said it was not possible for the king and queen to meet any victims of Epstein during the tour, as some have requested, to avoid impacting any potential criminal cases. Charles's brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose reputation and royal standing have been destroyed over his links to the late Epstein, is currently facing police inquiries over his connections.
Source: www.aljazeera.com