Buckingham Palace issues statement on King’s US state visit after Tru | Royal | News
Officials are evaluating whether the incident will require any changes to the schedule of the state visit, which begins on Monday.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said in a statement: “Her Majesty is being fully informed of developments and it is a great relief to hear that the President, the First Lady and all guests were unharmed. As you can imagine, a number of discussions will take place throughout the day with our US colleagues and relevant teams to discuss the extent to which the events of Saturday evening will or may not impact the operational planning of the Visit.”
The King and Queen are understood to have reached out privately to the President and First Lady on the night to express their sympathy to those affected and their gratitude to security forces who prevented further injuries.
The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos last night as Secret Service rushed the President and other officials to safety after shots were fired in the ballroom.
President Trump, who had previously been the target of an assassination attempt, was quickly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of the administration.
A police officer who was shot but protected by his bulletproof vest was taken to hospital.
The suspect, who was said to be carrying a shotgun and handgun, was identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California. It appears that he was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel where the dinner was held.
Speaking on Sky News with Trevor Phillips on Sunday Morning, Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary Darren Jones said Sir Keir Starmer had sent a message of solidarity to Mr Trump after the incident.
“These are remarkable scenes. The Prime Minister sent a message of solidarity to the US President this morning regarding the events. As you can imagine, with His Majesty the King visiting this week, our teams are working closely to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.”
Asked if there were any extra concerns for the King’s safety during the state visit, which starts on Monday, Mr Jones said: “As you would expect, the Government and the Palace take His Majesty’s safety very seriously and extensive discussions are already taking place and will continue in the coming days.”
Mr Jones told the BBC’s program with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday that discussions regarding the King’s safety during his visit to the US would take place on Sunday.
Asked if this meant there would be any strain on what was already planned, he said: “Appropriate safety measures will be taken in relation to the risk.”
