King Charles III and Camilla begin US visit Monday: meeting with Trump and will address Congress
Beginning Monday 27 and until Thursday 30, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be on a state visit to the United States, with engagements in Washington DC, New York and Virginia, which will include private meetings with President Donald Trump, addressing Congress and an agenda marking the 250th anniversary of US independence.
The long-planned visit coincides with an unusually delicate time for the “special relationship” between the US and the UK following weeks of Trump repeatedly attacking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government for not offering their full-throated support for the US offensive against Iran.
The White House even had a Pentagon document leaked to the media with ‘sanction’ options for NATO allies who were not entirely supportive of Trump’s war with Iran, for example arguing US support for Argentine sovereignty demand over the Falkland Islands, and having Spain expelled from the western alliance.
Some British lawmakers even questioned whether Charles should still go to the US under such circumstances, before the palace confirmed the visit last month. However as monarch and head of state, Charles is constitutionally is bound to remain above politics, able only to represent the UK rather than speak for its government.
Rather than discussing any of the anxieties around the current state of the transatlantic alliance, the program for this state visit seeks to shore up the deep, historical links between the two countries. As Buckingham put it, the visit aims to showcase “the breadth of the economic, security and cultural relationship” which has developed since the US signed the Declaration of Independence.
Royal historian Ed Owens says this US state visit takes place at a time of very unusual political tensions and will be a huge global event, where the King will have a chance to champion the traditional values of democracy, liberty and freedom.
And Trump has also praise for Charles, I know him well, I’ve known him for years, the president told the BBC last week about the King. He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man.
The King will be expected by the UK government once again to use that personal respect from Trump as leverage. He has that deep well of experience, insight and judgement about how to play it on a personal level, says a royal source.
Upon arriving Monday in US, Charles and Camilla will privately meet with Trump and First Lady Melania Trump before attending a garden party and a formal welcome ceremony, featuring a ceremonial military review, the palace said.
Charles and Trump will meet privately, as will Camilla and Melania, and the King later will address a joint meeting of the US Congress, becoming the second British monarch to do so, after his mother Queen Elizabeth II spoke at the Capitol in 1991.
There will also be a state dinner and a ceremony honoring fallen soldiers to “mark the military partnership between the UK and the US,” which has come under some strain in recent weeks over the UK’s refusal to be further drawn into the war in Iran.
After leaving Washington, the royal couple will travel to New York where they will commemorate those killed on 9/11 and meet with an organization working with young people “affected by food insecurity through a sustainable urban farming after-school initiative.”
They will also attend events seeking to highlight the cultural and economic links between the US and UK, including one celebrating both countries’ literary heritage.
And in Virginia, the couple will meet with some of the area’s indigenous communities and conservation groups. They will then head to Bermuda, for a two-day visit, according to the Palace.
