King Charles arriving for visit with Trump at a fraught time

2 hours ago 7

Washington — King Charles III and Queen Camilla are arriving successful the U.S. connected Monday for their archetypal sojourn as monarchs. The trip, marking the 250th day of signing of the Declaration of Independence, comes astatine a fraught time for the U.S.-U.K. relationship.

It's not wide however their plans whitethorn beryllium affected by further information considerations aft Saturday night's attempted shooting astatine the White House Correspondents' Dinner wherever the president, vice president and Cabinet members were in attendance.

In a connection Sunday, the palace confirmed that the sojourn "will proceed arsenic planned," adding, "The King and Queen are astir grateful to each those who person worked astatine gait to guarantee this remains the lawsuit and are looking guardant to the Visit getting underway."

The king and Mr. Trump are seeking to fortify and signify their countries' ties astatine a clip erstwhile the U.S. warfare with Iran and the president's derision of NATO endanger to undermine the "special relationship" the 2 allies person treasured since World War II.

"The sojourn volition beryllium an accidental to recognise the shared past of our 2 nations; the breadth of the economic, information and taste narration that has developed since then; and the heavy people-to-people connections which unite communities," the palace said.

Charles and Camilla's visit volition diagnostic the accustomed trappings of visiting royalty: meetings astatine the White House, an address to Congress and a authorities meal hosted by the president. The 2 are besides expected to caput to New York connected Tuesday to grant the victims of the 9/11 attacks, and past marque a halt successful Virginia.

King Charles' docket successful the U.S.

The king and queen are scheduled to get successful Washington connected Monday afternoon. They'll person a backstage beverage with the president and archetypal lady, arsenic good arsenic a plot party.

They volition beryllium welcomed with a ceremonial ceremonial featuring a ceremonial subject review. The king and Mr. Trump volition clasp a bilateral meeting, portion the queen and archetypal woman person their ain meeting.

The king volition code a associated gathering of Congress connected Tuesday, and past a accepted authorities meal takes spot that evening astatine the White House.

Max Bergmann, manager of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia programme astatine the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said helium volition beryllium funny to perceive what the king says successful his code to lawmakers.

"I expect the code to beryllium astatine a alternatively high-level and my anticipation is that it volition beryllium somewhat humanities — acknowledging the United States came from a gyration against his country, but past however we've benignant of flooded that," Bergmann said.

The question volition be, helium added, whether the king hints astatine issues similar quality rights and freedoms that the U.S. and U.K. supported unneurotic aft World War II, and whether the king leans into those principles successful a mode that mightiness beryllium seen arsenic captious of the existent administration.

The tense timing of the visit

Many Britons, similar different Europeans, person been captious of the mode Mr. Trump is handling his presidency, and the British nationalist don't privation their leaders to beryllium "supplicants," said Bergmann. While Bergmann said his "baseline consciousness is this is going to beryllium benignant of a feel-good trip" focused connected the humanities ties of the 2 nations, Charles has a delicate relation to play.

"He's got immoderate good thread and helium has to thread it done a precise very good needle," Bergmann said.

President Trump and Britain's King Charles III

Mr. Trump has been highly captious of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's reluctance to articulation the U.S.-Israeli warfare effort oregon combat for the Strait of Hormuz, adjacent arsenic the U.K. has allowed the U.S. to usage its bases for antiaircraft operations. The president has besides mocked the U.K.'s craft carriers arsenic "toys."

Mr. Trump told the BBC successful a telephone interrogation this week that his narration with Starmer volition lone "recover" if Starmer reverses people connected what Mr. Trump views arsenic lax migration policy.

Mr. Trump has expressed wide vexation with NATO for the alliance's refusal to articulation successful the effort against Iran, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes connected Feb. 28. Mr. Trump has adjacent raised the anticipation of leaving NATO, of which the U.S. and U.K. are founding members.

Liana Fix, elder chap for Europe astatine the Council connected Foreign Relations, said the U.S.-U.K. narration "has importantly deteriorated since the aboriginal days erstwhile Starmer was considered a 'Trump whisperer.'

"The U.K.'s archetypal reluctance to let the usage of bases for the Iran warfare has strained not lone Trumpists successful D.C. but besides the narration with NATO, and undermined what was near of the content successful a peculiar relationship," she said.

Still, Charles is not Starmer, and has a much stately and little governmental relation to play, Bergmann said.

Most Britons aren't viewing the king's travel favorably. A YouGov survey successful precocious March recovered that 49% of the British nationalist said the sojourn should beryllium canceled, compared with 33% who said it should spell ahead.

Simon Tisdall, a overseas affairs commentator for The Guardian, wrote that the king should talk plainly astir Mr. Trump successful his code to Congress. In a piece titled, "Protocol beryllium damned," Tisdall wrote that what helium called Starmer's "appeasement policy" has "miserably failed."

"Trump volition undoubtedly represent Charles's attendance astatine a abstracted White House authorities banquet arsenic a royal endorsement of his idiosyncratic and policies," Tisdall wrote. "And it is precisely this galling imaginable of a statesmanlike propaganda coup that has led astir radical successful Britain to oppose the visit. Starmer, successful contrast, hopes it volition acceptable the severely soiled 'special relationship' backmost connected track."

The narration betwixt Charles and Trump

Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was adept astatine keeping bid with Mr. Trump during his archetypal term, utilizing her diplomatic skills honed done decades connected the throne. Charles has besides had plentifulness of signifier successful the country of diplomacy, Bergmann said.

Though this is his archetypal sojourn arsenic king, it volition beryllium acold from the archetypal gathering for the two. Mr. Trump has called Charles a "friend."

Mr. Trump told the BBC this week helium thinks the king's sojourn could assistance repair U.S.-U.K. relations.

"Absolutely," the president said. "He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the reply is yes."

"I cognize him well, I've known him for years," Mr. Trump told the BBC. "He's a brave man, and he's a large man. They would perfectly beryllium a positive."

It's not wide precisely erstwhile they archetypal met, but it was much than 2 decades ago, erstwhile Mr. Trump was a businessman successful New York society. Photos amusement Melania and Donald Trump chatting with Charles astatine an lawsuit astatine the Museum of Modern Art successful New York City successful 2005.

Prince Charles and Donald Trump successful 2005

More formally, the president and archetypal woman visited with him successful the U.K. successful 2019, erstwhile Charles was inactive the Prince of Wales. The Trumps visited again successful September 2025, attending an elaborate authorities meal hosted by the king and queen astatine Windsor Castle.

Mr. Trump expressed his sympathy for the king aft the king's brother, Andrew, was arrested connected suspicion of nationalist misconduct successful bureau related to revelations from the Epstein files. The king had already stripped Andrew of his royal titles owed to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Mr. Trump called the concern with Andrew a "very bittersweet thing."

Charles' past authoritative sojourn to Washington was successful 2015, portion helium was inactive prince, erstwhile helium and Camilla met with the Obamas.

In: