Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday afternoon for a four-day visit. The visit has gained added prominence following the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting and growing tensions between the close allies.
The trip, marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence and the first by a British monarch in two decades, is the most high-profile of Charles’ reign.
Charles and Camilla landed at Joint Base Andrews at around 2:30 p.m. ET (1830 GMT), where they were welcomed by diplomatic, state, and federal officials as well as senior members of the British embassy.
They also received flowers from children of British military families stationed in the United States.
The week's schedule also includes an address to Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House and a stop in New York City.
The long-planned visit has become enmeshed in a political spat between the two countries over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which led President Donald Trump to voice deep displeasure with the British government for failing to support the offensive.
The shooting on Saturday (25 April) at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, where U.S. officials have said the president and members of his administration were the likely targets, has cast a further pall over the visit.
Buckingham Palace said the trip would still go ahead as planned following discussions between British and U.S. authorities to determine if the incident would impact the royals' plans.
"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," a palace spokesperson said on Sunday.
On arriving in Washington, the King and Queen had a private tea with the President, an unabashed lover of the British royal family who regularly describes Charles as a "great man", and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.
The 77-year-old King, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, will address Congress the next day- just the second time a British monarch has done so.
The royals will then head to New York where they will commemorate those killed in the 11 September, 2001, attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary, while the Queen will also mark the centenary of children's stories featuring Winnie the Pooh.
The U.S. 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 at its lowest point since the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Britain's ambassador to the U.S., Christian Turner, said the visit would underscore shared history, sacrifice and common values between the two countries, adding that the approach would be a very British one, "Keep calm, carry on."
An internal Pentagon email reportedly outlined possible measures including reviewing the U.S. position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands as a response to perceived lack of support from allies in the Iran conflict.
The proposal is linked to wider tensions between Washington and NATO partners over military cooperation in the ongoing crisis.
One issue off the table during the visit is the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Royal sources have said it was not possible for the royal couple to meet any victims of Epstein during the tour, as some have requested, to avoid impacting any potential criminal cases.
Charles' brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose reputation and royal standing have been destroyed over his links to the late U.S. sex offender, is currently facing police inquiries over his connections. The former Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
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