Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in the United States for a four-day trip, a tour that has taken on even greater prominence after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting and amid acrimony between the close allies.

The state visit on Monday afternoon, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’s reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, and is the first visit to the country by a British monarch for two decades.

Charles and Camilla touched down at Joint Base Andrews around 2:30pm (18:30 GMT), when they were greeted by diplomatic, state, and federal officials, as well as senior members of the British embassy, and accepted flowers from the children of British military families stationed in the US.

The king, sporting a navy suit, and the queen, wearing a pink dress, stood on the tarmac while a military band played the British and US national anthems, before they headed to the White House for a private meeting with self-proclaimed royal fan President Donald Trump.

The week’s schedule also includes an address to the US Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House, and a stop in New York City.

Press dinner shooting just days before visit

The long-planned visit has become enmeshed in a political spat between the two countries over the US-Israel war on Iran, which led Trump to voice deep displeasure with the British government for failing to support the offensive.

The shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where US officials have said the president and members of his administration were the likely targets, has cast a further pall over the visit.

Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that the king “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed”. After a security review, the palace said the trip “will proceed as planned”.

Trump has criticised the UK over Iran stance

On arriving in Washington, the king and queen are scheduled to have a private tea with the president, an unabashed lover of the British royal family who regularly describes Charles as a “great man”, and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

The 77-year-old king, who is still undergoing cancer treatment that began in February 2024, will address Congress the next day – just the second time a British monarch has done so.

The royals will then head on to New York City, where they will commemorate those killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary, while the queen will also mark the centenary of children’s stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh.

The US trip concludes in Virginia with the king meeting those involved in conservation work, a nod to his half-century of environmental campaigning.

The government of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping the visit will shore up the future of the two allies’ “special relationship”, which is now at its lowest point since the Suez Crisis in 1956.

Britain’s ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, said the visit would underscore the shared history, sacrifice and common values between the two countries, adding that the approach would be a very British one: “Keep calm, carry on.”

While Trump has eased his criticism of Britain in recent days over its response to the Iran war, an internal Pentagon email set out how the US could review its position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands as punishment for its lack of support, further straining ties.

“President Trump has always had great respect for King Charles, and their relationship was further strengthened by the president’s historic visit to the United Kingdom last year,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Associated Press. “The president looks forward to a special visit … which will include a beautiful state dinner and multiple events throughout the week.”

Trump, meanwhile, told the BBC that the king’s visit could “absolutely” help repair the transatlantic relationship.

One issue off the table during the visit is the scandal over convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Royal sources have said it was not possible for the king and queen to meet any victims of Epstein during the tour, as some have requested, to avoid impacting any potential criminal cases.

Charles’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose reputation and royal standing have been destroyed over his links to the late Epstein, is currently facing police inquiries over his connections. The former Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.