As several voices were raised in the British political class to question the legitimacy of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to the United States, journalist Kate Mansey of the venerable Times informs us this Thursday, March 19, 2026 that it will indeed take place. Everything seemed possible in recent weeks following statements from the chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry. “If this project is implemented, it would be in a context of war, which, I think, is quite difficult – and the last thing we want is to embarrass Their Majesties,” the Labour deputy assured on BBC 4 on March 17.
A similar sentiment was echoed by Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third parliamentary group in the House of Commons: “While Trump has started an illegal war that is ravaging the Middle East and causing British families’ energy bills to skyrocket, it is clear that this visit should not take place.” But ultimately, the visit is still on and could take place from April 17 to 19, 2026. Over these three days, Charles III will spend one day in Washington, another day in New York, and make a final visit to a rural area to be determined.
Despite the diplomatic cooling between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, the American President announced on that same March 17: “I look forward to seeing the king. He will come, as you know, very soon,” thus dispelling doubts in Britain. Prepared for six months, this state visit has involved several trips between the UK and the US to plan the agenda as precisely as possible. Given Charles III’s age (77 years) and his cancer, the stay is quite short to avoid disrupting his treatment.
This does not prevent the monarch from wanting to honor as many appointments as possible. Among them, a speech in front of the members of Congress in Washington. Even though the text will be written by Keir Starmer, the king’s presence is announced as apolitical and mainly focused on the festivities organized for the 250th anniversary of the US independence.
