President Donald Trump and King Charles III are meeting one-on-one Tuesday in talks designed to reaffirm the “special relationship” at a low point in UK-US ties.
Charles arrived at the White House for a greeting ceremony on the South Lawn featuring an honor guard, military band and ceremonial cannon salute. The pair’s conversation is expected to last for around an hour, before the king delivers a speech to a joint session of Congress, followed by a dinner in the East Room.
The visit comes at a critical time in UK-US relations, which have reached one of its worst points since the Suez Crisis in the 1950s. Trump has spent recent months criticizing and insulting Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with whom he previously shared a warm relationship with before Starmer split with the president over the war in Iran and his threats about annexing Greenland.
The meeting between the king and president is scheduled remain private and the Charles is not expected to appear on-camera in the Oval Office, which foreign leaders often do when they visit.
Though the UK’s constitutional convention means the king stays above day-to-day politics, he has weighed in on some major issues. He highlighted the importance of supporting Ukraine’s war effort as well as safeguarding the environment in a speech welcoming Trump to Windsor Castle last year.
Charles is on the second day of his four-day state visit, the first by a British monarch since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made the trip in 2007. His speech to a joint meeting of Congress will be only the second time a British monarch has done so, following Elizabeth’s address in 1991 in which she was greeted with a standing ovation from the American lawmakers assembled at the Capitol.
Charles’ speech, expected to last 30 to 40 minutes, is expected to reflect the history and depth of the so-called “special relationship” — a term coined by Winston Churchill — that the king referenced twice in his remarks at Trump’s state visit to the UK last September.
Elizabeth in her 1991 speech referenced the Gulf War — though the UK government supported that US intervention, unlike recently in Iran where they opted out of aiding the initial strikes.
Charles plans to emphasize the security, economic, scientific and trade ties that the two countries share, and may touch on the recent conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. He also will likely reference the shooting at the hotel where the White House correspondents’ dinner took place in Washington over the weekend, which forced Trump to be rushed off stage and the event to be postponed.
The king often makes changes to his speech right up until delivery, and was examining his planned remarks Monday on the plane journey to Washington.
The meeting and speech follow a formal ceremony at the White House, which saw a military review.
On Monday, the US president and First Lady Melania Trump shared afternoon tea with Charles and his wife Queen Camilla, before taking them on a tour of an expanded beehive at the presidential mansion. The king and queen then enjoyed smoked salmon, cucumber sandwiches and Bakewell tarts at a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence.
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Published on April 28, 2026