Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles and Queen Camilla will undertake a state visit to the United States in late April, as planned, despite calls from some Labour MPs to postpone the trip amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The visit, which will be the King’s first to the US as monarch, will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The King is scheduled to address Congress, attend a state dinner at the White House, and later travel to Bermuda for his first royal visit to a British Overseas Territory as sovereign. The Palace stated the visit was arranged on the advice of His Majesty’s government and at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.
Critics, including some Labour MPs, have argued that the visit could be seen as a “humiliation” while the US is engaged in military operations against Iran. The UK has deployed an additional 1,000 troops to the Gulf region, though it has declined to participate in offensive actions against Iran.
In other political developments, Labour MP Karl Turner has lost the party whip after criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, particularly over changes to jury trials. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has defended its decision to abstain from voting on UN Human Rights Council resolutions specifically targeting Israel, a shift from the previous policy of automatically opposing such motions.
