King Charles III and Queen Camilla kicked off a significant four-day state visit to the United States on Monday, arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland ahead of America’s 250th independence anniversary celebrations.
The trip represents the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s 2007 visit, which helped mend ties after the Iraq War.
They were greeted at the White House by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump under tight security following a shooting at a presidential event in Washington DC over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Charles will deliver a landmark address to both houses of Congress, the first by a reigning monarch since Elizabeth II in 1991. He is expected to offer sympathies for the attack and urge renewed transatlantic unity amid global threats, emphasising defence of democratic values through NATO and support for Ukraine.
Despite recent frictions, such as Trump’s criticism of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over Britain’s reluctance to deepen involvement in the Iran conflict, the King will affirm enduring bonds. The alliance, he will argue, rests on a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, promote peace, deepen mutual understanding, and value people of all faiths and none.
The visit blends ceremony and diplomacy. At the airbase, officials including U.S. Protocol Chief Monica Crowley and British Ambassador Sir Christian Teather welcomed them, with children presenting flowers and anthems played. At the renovating White House, they enjoyed tea and saw a beehive shaped like the residence, a tribute to Charles’s beekeeping passion. Camilla wore a symbolic UK-U.S. flag brooch from Elizabeth II’s 1957 trip, which repaired Suez Crisis damage.
A British embassy garden party drew over 600 guests from politics, science, charities, and the military, including Nancy Pelosi, Ted Cruz, and Yvette Cooper. Highlights included tariff-free British beef sandwiches.
Camilla engaged anti-domestic abuse campaigners; Sandra Jackson of House of Ruth said “It’s very important to have such advocates and it’s a cause very close to her heart.”
The state dinner will feature Trump’s speech to mixed U.S.-UK luminaries.