Britain’s King Charles III will address a joint session of Parliament and meet privately with US President Donald Trump during a state visit to the US later this month, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.
From April 27th to April 30th, Prince Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Washington, D.C., New York, and Virginia, where they will engage in various official engagements to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The long-planned visit coincides with an unusually sensitive period for the U.S. and U.K.’s “special relationship” after President Trump repeatedly attacked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government in recent weeks for failing to provide full support for the U.S. offensive against Iran.
Before the royal family approved the visit last month, some British lawmakers even questioned whether Prince Charles should even go to the United States under these circumstances.
However, as monarch, Charles is constitutionally required to remain above politics and can only represent Britain, not the British government.
This program of state visits aims to strengthen the deep historical ties between the two countries, rather than discussing concerns about the current state of the Atlantic Alliance. As the Palace said, the visit aims to showcase the “broad economic, security and cultural relationships” that have developed since the United States signed the Declaration of Independence.
After arriving in the United States, Prince Charles and Camilla will meet privately with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, before attending a formal welcome ceremony that will include a garden party and viewing ceremony, the palace said.
Prince Charles and President Trump will meet privately, as will Camilla and Melania, the palace added. Prince Charles is then scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress, becoming the second British monarch to address the Houses of Parliament since his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
A state dinner and a memorial service for fallen soldiers are also planned to “demonstrate the military partnership between the UK and the US”, which has heightened tensions in recent weeks over Britain’s refusal to get further involved in the Iran war.
After leaving Washington, the royal couple will head to New York to meet with organizations that pay tribute to those who died on 9/11 and work with young people “affected by food insecurity through an after-school sustainable urban agriculture initiative.”
They will also attend events that seek to highlight the cultural and economic ties between the United States and Britain, including events celebrating the literary heritage of both countries.
And in Virginia, the couple will meet with some of the region’s indigenous communities and conservation groups. The group will then head to Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, for a two-day visit.
