British royals begin four-day US state visit amid friction
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• King Charles to meet Trump, deliver historic address to Congress
• Trip goes ahead despite recent shooting at DC gala
WASHINGTON: Britain’s King Charles III began a state visit to the United States on Monday, even as transatlantic tensions simmer over the Iran war, and despite a shooting two days earlier at a dinner attended by his host, President Donald Trump.
The four-day trip by Charles and Queen Camilla is intended to honour historic ties between the two countries as the US marks its 250th anniversary, according to the British government. Charles will be the first British monarch to address Congress after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, addressed lawmakers in 1991. He and Queen Camilla will have tea with Trump, attend a state dinner, visit the 9/11 memorial in New York on Wednesday, and then head to Bermuda on Thursday for his first visit to a British overseas territory as monarch.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the US visit would proceed despite the previous night’s gala shooting, with Charles “greatly relieved” that Trump, Melania, and other guests were unharmed.
Britain’s ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, assured that “all appropriate security measures are in place” following extensive discussions.
Controversy
Charles’s first US visit as monarch, requested by the UK government and President Trump, has stirred controversy due to tensions from the US-Iran war affecting London-Washington relations.
Trump criticised UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for opposing the war and his immigration and energy policies. They spoke by phone on Sunday with Starmer sending “best wishes” after the gala incident.
They also discussed resuming shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for the global economy and living costs worldwide, according to Starmer’s office.
Starmer has publicly criticised the war, but defended the state visit. An early April YouGov poll found 48 percent of Britons support cancelling it.
“Often what the monarchy is able to do, through the bonds that they build, is reach through the decades in a situation like this,” Starmer told MPs when asked why the trip was going ahead.
Trump told the BBC on Thursday the visit could “absolutely” help repair relations.
“He’s a friend of mine for a long time, so he’s coming, and we’re going to have a great time, and he represents his nation like nobody else can do it,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.
Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026
