UK Royals head to the U.S. amid Iran war, shooting and rocky relations

The U.K.’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the U.S., set to begin on Monday, comes at a time of heightened domestic and geopolitical tension for Washington and London.

The visit is taking place just two days after the shocking shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday in which U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania and top U.S. officials were bundled out of harm’s way by security agents as a suspected shooter tried to gain access to the hall, in the Washington Hilton hotel, where the officials and journalists were gathered.

The suspected gunman, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended by security personnel and is due to be formally charged in court in Washington on Monday.

It was decided at the weekend that the Royals’ four-day visit would go ahead as planned despite security concerns. Buckingham Palace said there would be a few minor modifications to the schedule, but did not give further details.

“Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of Government, we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned,” the Palace commented on Sunday.

“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 tomorrow,” it added.

Trump told CBS News’ 60 Minutes on Sunday that the Royals would be safe during their visit: “I think it’s ‌great; he’ll be very safe,” the president said in the broadcast interview, adding: “The White House grounds are really safe.” 

On arriving in Washington on Monday afternoon, the king and queen will be welcomed by Trump and the first lady before attending a garden party including guests representing ties between the two countries.

There will be a formal ceremony welcoming the Royals later at the White House, which will feature a ceremonial military review. King Charles is due to meet privately with the president and is then expected to address both houses of Congress, marking only the second time a British monarch has addressed a joint meeting, following Queen Elizabeth II’s speech at the Capitol during a state visit to the U.S. in 1991. Charles and Camilla will return to the White House for a state dinner hosted by Trump and his wife.

The visit will then see the Royals visiting New York and Virginia, to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Royals have reportedly been in touch with Trump and his wife to express their sympathies following the attack on Saturday. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also commented on X on Sunday that it was a “huge relief” that the president and his wife were safe.

Trump told CBS News’ 60 Minutes program that he “wasn’t worried” during the incident but said his wife, who looked visibly shocked on footage showing the moment secret agents escorted the presidential couple out of the room, had been “rather traumatised” by the incident.

The trip comes at a tricky diplomatic time for the U.S. and one of its closest and oldest allies, the U.K., amid the ongoing Iran war. The conflict has caused tensions between Washington and London, with the British government refusing to get “dragged into” the war.

Trump has criticized his U.K. counterpart Starmer and warned that the U.S. would not forget the perceived slight by European allies. Reuters reported last week that the U.S. could review its position on the U.K.’s contested sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

The British government will likely be hoping that the Royals’ visit can go a long way to repair damaged ties with Trump, who is known to be a big fan of the king. Trump visibly revelled in being treated to the best of British pageantry during two state visits to the U.K. in recent years and is known to be an Anglophile.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement earlier this month that the “visit will be 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.”