Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles’s state visit to the United States will go ahead as planned, following a security review after a gunman opened fire near a dinner attended by President Donald Trump in Washington DC. The incident occurred at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, prompting a Secret Service evacuation of the president and other officials. No fatalities were reported, though one officer was hospitalised with a gunshot wound to his bulletproof vest.
The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of 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 palace added that modest adjustments may be made to one or two engagements, but the overall programme remains unchanged.
Earlier on Sunday, the palace said the king was “greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed”. Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones confirmed that the UK and US were “working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the visit.
The four-day trip, beginning Monday, will see the king visit Virginia, New York and Washington DC to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. He will meet President Trump privately and attend a state banquet. The king will also take part in a 9/11 wreath-laying ceremony with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani in memory of the 67 British victims of the 2001 attacks.
The visit comes amid strained UK-US relations following tense conversations between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the Iran war. The king has also faced criticism for ignoring calls to meet victims of Jeffrey Epstein, after the royal family became embroiled in the scandal when the king’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of leaking documents to the convicted child sex offender.
