The King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit the United States from April 27 to 30, a controversial trip amid conflicts in the Middle East and tensions between Washington and London. Their itinerary will highlight the historical ties and current bilateral relations between the UK and the US, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, as announced in a statement by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
“I am excited to spend time with the king, whom I greatly respect. It will be wonderful and memorable,” stated Donald Trump in a post on his Truth Social network, detailing the dates of the upcoming visit. A “beautiful banquet” will take place at the White House on April 28, confirmed the American president.
Following this, the king and queen will travel to Bermuda from April 30 to May 2 for the monarch’s first visit to a British Overseas Territory since ascending the throne in September 2022. The special relationship between London and Washington, built on 250 years of history, encompasses close diplomatic, military, and economic ties.
During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II visited the US four times, including in 1976 to celebrate the bicentennial of American independence and in 1991, delivering a historic address to the American Congress. Donald Trump, a great admirer of the royal family, was himself received in a state visit to the UK for the second time in September, experiencing the full royal treatment from a carriage procession to a sumptuous banquet at Windsor Castle.
According to the US ambassador to London, Warren Stephens, House of Representatives President Mike Johnson proposed that Charles III deliver a speech before both houses of the American Congress.
Calls to postpone the visit have arisen amidst conflicts in the Middle East triggered by American-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, with economic repercussions worldwide. Donald Trump has criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not sufficiently supporting the US in this conflict, questioning the strength of the UK-US special relationship.
Despite objections from some UK lawmakers, the visit is proceeding as planned, with nearly half of Britons expressing opposition, according to a YouGov poll. The Labour leader Ed Davey and Foreign Affairs Committee President Emily Thornberry have raised concerns about potential embarrassment during the visit.
Remaining politically neutral, Charles III has not publicly commented on Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st US state, defending Canada’s sovereignty during a symbolic visit in May 2025. At 77 years old, the king, who has faced several major crises during his three-year reign, continues to battle cancer diagnosed in February 2024. Additionally, he is dealing with the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which led to his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in February for allegedly sharing confidential information with the disgraced American predator and financier in 2019.
