King Charles will have tea and a private meeting with President Donald Trump during his US state visit later this month, as the British government hopes his ‘soft power’ can heal a damaging rift between the allies caused by the Iran war.
The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla head across the Atlantic on April 27, a four-day trip to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence from Britain but one that now has far greater significance amid a growing spat between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“The visit ... recognises the challenges the United Kingdom, the United States, and our allies face across the world,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said yesterday. “This visit is a moment to reaffirm and renew our bilateral ties as we address those challenges together, in the UK’s national interest.”
Unveiling details of the trip, the spokesperson said Trump and first lady Melania Trump would greet the king and queen in Washington with a private tea, followed by a ceremonial welcome at the White House, a state dinner, and a meeting between the monarch and president.
As previously announced, the king will also address Congress, becoming just the second British monarch to do so following his mother Queen Elizabeth in 1991. The royal couple will later visit New York where they will meet families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The US leg of their tour ends with a visit to Virginia, before Charles heads off to Bermuda, a British overseas territory where he is the head of state.
Amid the pomp of a royal state visit, the British government hopes the trip will demonstrate the value of what a foreign office spokesperson called ‘the closest of friendships’.
That characterisation has come under strain since the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran in late February, with Trump frequently singling out Britain and Starmer personally for failing to provide active support for the offensive.
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