King Charles III will address the two chambers of the American Congress during his state visit to the United States at the end of April, a very rare event as it will only be the second time in history that a British monarch speaks before Congress, Buckingham Palace announced on Tuesday.
This address is scheduled for April 28, according to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. The last time a British monarch spoke was in 1991, when Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, gave a speech at the Capitol.
Charles III’s state visit, planned from April 27 to 30 to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, comes at a time of tension between Washington and London due to the war in the Middle East. Some UK lawmakers had called for the visit to be canceled.
“This visit will be an opportunity to highlight the shared history of our two nations, the breadth of relations, and the deep ties that bind our people,” emphasized a statement from Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
While the two countries have a historic “special relationship,” US President Donald Trump has recently made several criticisms of his British ally, particularly Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of not supporting the US-Israeli offensive against Iran.
However, Labour leader Starmer defended the opportunity of this royal visit. “The relationship between our two countries is very important in many ways, and often, thanks to the ties it weaves, the monarchy can go beyond a situation like this,” Starmer said in Parliament on Monday.
Known for his appreciation of the British royal family, Trump has already made two state visits to the UK – the latest in September. He looked forward in March to the “fantastic” prospect of receiving the king.
This visit also comes as Charles III faces the repercussions of the Jeffrey Epstein affair, which led to the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in February for allegedly passing confidential information to the American pedocriminal and financier in 2019.
Virginia Giuffre’s family, the main accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, urged the king to meet with victims of the sex offender during his visit. However, the program provided by Buckingham Palace does not mention such a meeting.
A royal source told the Press Association that such a meeting was simply “not possible,” arguing that it could “harm ongoing investigations or the proper functioning of justice.”
According to the agenda provided by Buckingham Palace, King Charles and Queen Camilla will first be welcomed in Washington by Donald and Melania Trump privately for a “tea,” before a garden party.
The state visit will also include a military ceremony, a meeting between Charles III and the US president, as well as a state dinner at the White House.
Charles and Camilla will then visit New York, where they will pay tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, before moving on to Virginia. They will then travel to Bermuda – a British overseas territory – until May 2.
