King Charles will go ahead with a state visit to the United States in late April, Buckingham Palace has confirmed, despite calls from some politicians to delay the trip amid ongoing conflict with Iran. The visit, which includes Queen Camilla, is scheduled from 27 to 30 April and marks the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Critics, including Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Green party leader Zack Polanski, have described the visit as a 'humiliation' given Donald Trump's recent verbal attacks on the UK. Trump has criticised the UK's armed forces, calling its aircraft carriers 'toys' and suggesting the country should 'fight for yourselves' and seize jet fuel from the Middle East.
Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, previously suggested it would be 'safer to delay' the visit to avoid embarrassing the monarch. Labour MPs John McDonnell and Clive Lewis also voiced opposition, with McDonnell warning that Trump would exploit the visit for personal publicity and Lewis calling it a 'profound misreading of the moment' amid an 'illegal war'.
Buckingham Palace stated the visit proceeds on the advice of His Majesty's government and at the invitation of the US president. Charles is expected to address Congress and attend events commemorating the 250th anniversary of US independence. It will be his first state visit to the US as monarch and the first by a British sovereign since Queen Elizabeth II's 2007 tour.
Trump announced the visit on his Truth Social platform, calling it 'historic' and 'terrific', just an hour after criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not backing US-Israel strikes on Iran. The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, also urged the UK to 'step up' to defend the Strait of Hormuz.
