King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House on Monday for a state visit in Washington, a city still rattled by a weekend shooting and a transatlantic alliance showing fresh signs of strain. British flags lined lamp-posts outside the White House, where Donald and Melania Trump greeted the royal couple with handshakes. The four exchanged pleasantries and posed for photographs before heading inside for a private tea.
The president and first lady then took the royals on a tour of the newly expanded White House beehive on the south lawn. Later, Charles and Camilla attended a garden party at the British embassy, joined by Trump administration officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz. Guests enjoyed sandwiches of Scottish smoked salmon and roasted British beef with horseradish.
The convivial atmosphere in warm sunshine gave no hint of a bilateral relationship in crisis. The four-day tour, marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, occurs against the backdrop of a diplomatic rift over Trump’s war in Iran and a security scare at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where a gunman opened fire at the Washington Hilton hotel. Officials believe the president and his administration were likely targets.
For Charles, the posture will be “keep calm and carry on”. Buckingham Palace confirmed the visit would proceed after consultations with US authorities. On Tuesday, the king will speak at a state dinner and give a rare address to the US Congress, where he is expected to acknowledge transatlantic strains and offer “the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States”.
Charles will then travel to New York to visit the September 11 memorial before concluding in Virginia, meeting conservation groups. Some British politicians worry the soft power mission is fraught with embarrassment, given Trump’s recent attacks on Pope Leo XIV and his criticism of Britain’s refusal to back military action against Iran. However, Trump has described Charles as “a great man” and “a friend”.
