King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive in United States
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States for a four-day trip; The trip took on greater significance in the wake of the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting and amid hostilities between close allies.
The state visit, the most notable and significant culmination of Charles’ reign to date, marks the 250th anniversary of the United States’ declaration of independence from British rule and is the first visit to the country by a UK monarch in two decades.
Charles and Camilla landed at Joint Base Andrews around 2:30 p.m. and will head to the White House for a private meeting with President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed royal fan.
The King and Queen exited the plane together and were greeted at the foot of the plane by US chief of protocol Monica Crowley and the British Ambassador to the US, Christian Turner.
Camilla walked down the steps of the plane wearing a brooch featuring the US stars and stripes crossed with the Union flag on her chest.
The royal couple stood side by side as the band sang the British and US national anthems before boarding a vehicle.
The week’s schedule includes a speech to Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House and a stop in New York City.
The long-planned visit became ensnared in a political spat between the two countries’ governments over the US-Israeli war against Iran, which led Trump to express his deep displeasure with UK officials for not supporting the attack.
The visit was further cast into a shadow by the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, in which US officials said the president and members of his administration were likely targets.
Buckingham Palace said the trip would go ahead as planned following talks between British and US officials to determine whether the incident would affect the royal family’s plans.
“The King and Queen are grateful to everyone who has worked quickly to ensure this remains the case and look forward to the visit starting tomorrow,” a palace spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. he said.
When the King and Queen arrive in Washington DC, they have a private tea with the president and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, an unabashed lover of the royal family who regularly describes Charles as “a great man”.
The 77-year-old monarch, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, will address Congress the next day; This marks the second time a UK monarch has done this.
The royal family will then travel to New York to commemorate those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary. The Queen will also mark the centenary of children’s stories featuring Winnie the Pooh.
The US trip ended with the King meeting conservationists in Virginia, a nod to his half-century-long environmental campaign.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government hopes the visit will bolster the future of the two allies’ “special relationship”, which has reached its lowest point since the Suez Crisis in 1956.
British Ambassador to the USA, Christian Turner, stated that the visit would emphasize the common history, sacrifice and common values between the two countries, adding that the approach would be a truly British one: “Keep calm, carry on.”
with PA
