King Charles’s security is being reviewed ahead of his state visit to the US this week, Buckingham Palace has confirmed, after a gunman attempted to storm a dinner attended by Donald Trump in Washington DC. The incident occurred on Saturday night at the White House correspondents’ dinner, where guests hid under tables as the Secret Service evacuated the president and other officials.
No one was killed in the attack, though one officer wearing a bulletproof vest was shot and taken to hospital. The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon. He is understood to have been staying at the hotel and was carrying a shotgun and handgun.
In a statement on Sunday evening, Buckingham Palace said: “Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned. 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 under way tomorrow.” It is understood there will be modest adjustments to one or two royal engagements, but the overall plan remains unchanged.
Earlier on Sunday, the palace said Charles was being “kept fully informed of developments” and was “greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed”. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said the US and UK were “working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the visit, adding that there would be “appropriate security in place in relation to the risk”.
The king is due to visit Virginia, New York and Washington DC during a four-day trip beginning on Monday to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. He will meet the US president privately and take part in a state banquet. Charles will also lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial with the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, in memory of the 67 British people killed in the 2001 attacks.
UK-US relations are strained after tense conversations between Trump and Keir Starmer over the Iran war. The king has also faced criticism for ignoring calls to meet Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, after his brother Andrew was arrested on suspicion of leaking sensitive documents to the convicted sex offender.
