The king will become the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, did so in 1991
O rei Charles III started this Monday (27) a state visit to the United States aimed at strengthening ties with Donald Trumpamid strong security measures following an attack during a dinner attended by the American president.
A trip was scheduled to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of the ancestors of the British monarch. But tensions surrounding the war with Iran have shaken the so-called “special relationship” between the two countries.
Charles and Queen Camilla will now take advantage of their four-day visit — the first on American soil since he took the throne in 2022 — to carry out a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at Trumpknown for his interest in royalty.
The royal couple arrived at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington, D.C., in a plane with the British flag painted on the tail, and descended through a staircase covered with a red carpet.
This is the British monarch’s first trip to United States since becoming king in 2022. The visit “will honor the special and long-standing relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
Trump and his wife, Melania Trump will welcome Charles and Camilla to the White House this Mondaybefore inviting them for tea and a guided tour of a new hive installed by the First Lady.
On Tuesday, the Trumps will meet with Charles and Camilla in the Oval Office and host a state dinner. Charles will also become the first British monarch to address Congress since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, did so in 1991.
The royals will arrive in New York on Wednesday, where they will visit the September 11, 2001 memorial, before departing on Thursday for Bermuda, in Charles III’s first visit to a British overseas territory as monarch.
“Not Churchill”
O Buckingham Palace announced that the state visit to the United States would continue annual meeting of White House correspondents, which Trump attended on Saturday in Washington.
Charles was “immensely relieved” to learn that Trump and other guests were unharmed, the palace added.
Christian Turner, British ambassador to the United States, told a briefing in Washington on Sunday night that, after extensive discussions, “we are all very confident that all appropriate security measures have been put in place” for the state visit.
However, the American president’s offensive against Iran has opened an unusual rift between London and Washington, and the visit has provoked strong controversy.
Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his opposition to the waras well as his government’s immigration and energy policies.
The American president highlighted that Starmer “is not Winston Churchill”, in reference to the wartime prime minister who coined the expression “special relationship” between the two countries.
Starmer publicly criticized the war but defended the state visit. For Trump, King Charles’ visit could help repair transatlantic relations.
“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time, so come here and let’s have a lot of fun,” the 79-year-old president declared on Sunday on Fox News, who in turn visited the United Kingdom in September.
Craig Prescott, a monarchy expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, said Charles is likely to address the war — “the big elephant in the room” — indirectly on Tuesday before the US Congress.
The trip represents a personal challenge for Charles, 77, who has been battling cancer for the last few years.
Meanwhile, the scandal involving American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein threatens to overshadow the tour.
Charles faced a serious crisis over his brother, former Prince Andrew’s friendship with the billionaire, who died in prison in 2019.
