King Charles III and Queen Camilla Begin First Official U.S. Visit as Monarchs

By Kathryn Watson

*Updated April 27, 2026 / 6:51 AM EDT*

/ CBS News

WASHINGTON — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday for their first official visit as monarchs. The four-day trip coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The visit follows an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Cabinet members were present. Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Sunday confirming that the visit "will proceed as planned." The statement added, "The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the Visit getting underway."

The itinerary includes events aimed at recognizing the historical ties between the U.S. and U.K., as well as their economic, security, and cultural links. The palace described the visit as "an opportunity to recognise the shared history of our two nations; the breadth of the economic, security and cultural relationship that has developed since then; and the deep people-to-people connections which unite communities."

The schedule features formal meetings at the White House, an address by the king to a joint session of Congress, and a state dinner hosted by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. The royal couple is also scheduled to travel to New York on Tuesday to participate in a commemoration for the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, followed by a stop in Virginia.

Detailed Schedule in Washington

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in Washington on Monday afternoon. Their activities include a private tea with President Trump and the first lady, as well as a garden party.

A formal welcome ceremony is planned, featuring a ceremonial military review. The king and president will hold bilateral talks, while Queen Camilla and the first lady will meet separately.

On Tuesday, the king will address a joint meeting of Congress. A state dinner at the White House is scheduled for that evening.

Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), commented on the anticipated content of the king's congressional address. Bergmann, who served in the Obama administration's State Department and has ties to the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, said he expects the speech to focus on high-level historical themes. "I expect the speech to be at a rather high-level and my expectation is that it will be somewhat historical — acknowledging the United States came from a revolution against his country, but then how we've sort of overcome that," Bergmann said.

Bergmann added that observers will watch for any references to human rights and freedoms that the U.S. and U.K. have supported jointly since World War II, and whether such mentions could be interpreted as commentary on current U.S. policies.

U.S.-U.K. Relations Amid Ongoing Conflicts

The visit occurs during the U.S.-Iran conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026, and amid public discussions about NATO commitments. President Trump has criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not fully aligning with U.S. and Israeli efforts in the conflict or operations related to the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also expressed frustration with NATO allies, including the possibility of U.S. withdrawal from the alliance, of which the U.S. and U.K. are founding members.

In a phone interview with the BBC this week, Trump stated that his relationship with Starmer could improve if Starmer adjusts policies on immigration. Trump also told the BBC that the king's visit could contribute positively to U.S.-U.K. relations. "Absolutely," Trump said. "He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes. I know him well, I've known him for years. He's a brave man, and he's a great man. They would absolutely be a positive."

The U.K. government under Starmer initially expressed reluctance to allow U.S. use of U.K.-controlled bases for operations in the Iran conflict. However, the U.K. later permitted U.S. access to bases such as those in Cyprus and Diego Garcia for defensive purposes.

Liana Fix, a senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an organization focused on transatlantic and NATO-related advocacy, described changes in the U.S.-U.K. dynamic. "The U.S.-U.K. relationship has significantly deteriorated since the early days when Starmer was considered a 'Trump whisperer.' The U.K.'s initial reluctance to allow the use of bases for the Iran war has strained not only Trumpists in D.C. but also the relationship with NATO, and undermined what was left of the belief in a special relationship," Fix said.

Bergmann noted that while some Britons have expressed criticism of Trump's presidency and prefer U.K. leaders avoid appearing overly deferential, he views the trip primarily as an occasion to highlight historical bonds. Bergmann described the king's role as requiring careful navigation: "He's got some fine thread and he has to thread it through a very very fine needle."

Simon Tisdall, a foreign affairs commentator for The Guardian, argued in an opinion piece titled "Protocol be damned" that the king should address Trump directly in his congressional speech. Tisdall described Starmer's approach as an "appeasement policy" that has "miserably failed" and suggested that the state dinner could be portrayed by Trump as royal endorsement of his policies.

Personal Ties Between King Charles and President Trump

King Charles III's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, maintained diplomatic relations with Trump during his first term. Charles himself has experience in diplomacy, according to Bergmann.

This marks Charles's first U.S. visit as king, but not his first interaction with Trump. Trump has referred to Charles as a "friend." The two have met on multiple occasions over more than two decades.

Early encounters date back to at least 2005, when Trump was a New York businessman. Photographs from November 1, 2005, show then-Prince Charles speaking with Donald and Melania Trump at a reception at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

More formal meetings occurred during Trump's 2019 visit to the U.K., when Charles was Prince of Wales. The Trumps returned in September 2025 for a state visit, attending a state dinner hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.

Trump recently expressed sympathy to Charles following the arrest of Charles's brother, Prince Andrew, on suspicion of public misconduct in office. The arrest related to revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files. Charles had previously stripped Andrew of his royal titles due to Andrew's associations with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Trump described the situation as a "very sad thing."

Charles's most recent official visit to Washington was in 2015, as Prince of Wales, when he and Camilla met with then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The visit underscores ongoing people-to-people and institutional connections between the two nations, despite policy differences in areas such as the Iran conflict and NATO.


*AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP/Getty*


*Chris Jackson / Getty Images / MARK LARGE*

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