King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Washington DC on Monday for a four-day visit aimed at marking the 250th anniversary of American independence and strengthening the special UK-US relationship.
That relationship has been under serious strain in recent months, with US President Donald Trump lambasting Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European allies over their reluctance to get involved in the war with Iran.
The visit is the most important foreign trip of the King’s reign so far, but now has the added element of security concerns following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday evening.
The historic visit, the King’s first to the US as monarch, will mark the start of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which followed forces led by George Washington’s defeat of King George III’s army.
US First Lady Melania Trump has led the preparations for the state visit, and highlights include Charles’ address to both houses of Congress and the royal couple marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that brought down New York’s Twin Towers.
It is understood that following the shooting in Washington, there will be some modest operational adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip, but the overall plan remains as previously outlined.
Sir Christian Turner, the British ambassador to the US, said they were “very confident that all appropriate security measures are in place” regarding the royal visit.
Here’s what we know so far.
Monday
The Trumps will welcome Charles and Camilla to Washington on Monday, an announcement by the First Lady’s office said at the weekend.
The President and First Lady will greet the King and Queen when they arrive at the South Portico of the White House on Monday afternoon.
Both couples will then head to the State Floor, where they will sit for tea in the Green Room.
After tea, Charles and Camilla will join the President and First Lady for a tour of the newly expanded White House Beehive, which is nestled on the South Lawn near the White House Kitchen Garden.
Later, the King and Queen will attend a garden party featuring guests representing the connection between the US and UK.
The royals will base themselves at Blair House in Washington DC for the duration of their stay.
The 120-room complex of four connected houses is opposite the White House and also known as ‘The President’s Guest House’.
Tuesday
Trump and Melania will host a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday morning.
Drawing upon a tradition that dates back to the 18th century, the couple will mark the official arrival of the royals with a traditional military arrival ceremony, which includes military honours by the US Army Herald Trumpets.
National anthems of both countries will be played by “The President’s Own” US Marine Band, with the Presidential Salute Battery rendering a 21-gun cannon salute.
Following an Inspection of the Troops and a Troop in Review, facilitated by the US Army Fife and Drum Corps, the president will then deliver remarks from the South Lawn.
Afterwards, both couples will proceed to the Blue Room Balcony, where they will participate in a Pass in Review of 300 US Service Members and 500 members of the US Armed Forces from all six military branches present at the ceremony – a historic first for state visits.
Thousands of guests will be gathered on the South Lawn, including Members of the President’s Cabinet, Members of Congress, the official Delegation of the United States of America, the official Delegation of the UK, American military families and students from the British International School of Washington.
The King and Queen will then sign the White House guest book and participate in an official gift exchange with the president and first lady in the Blue Room.
In the Cross Hall of the State Floor, the couples will then participate in a receiving line with the delegations from both countries.
Following this, they will walk to the Oval Office, where the president and the King will participate in a bilateral meeting.
While they discuss the US and UK’s relations, the first lady and Queen will join US students for a cross-cultural educational event at the White House Tennis Pavilion.
Within the spirit of Melania’s Fostering the Future Together initiative, the small group, including several state champions from the Presidential AI Challenge, will use virtual reality headsets to learn about the United Kingdom.
Participants will also utilise AI-enabled glasses to learn about American history and the Special Relationship by evaluating artefacts from the White House Collection and the National Archives and Records Administration.
On Tuesday evening, Trump and Melania will greet the royals upon their arrival at the South Portico of the White House for a State Dinner in the East Room.
The Office of the First Lady will share additional details on the State Dinner prior to the event.
Wednesday
Charles and Camilla will travel to New York on Wednesday, where they will attend the September 11 terrorist attack memorial.
The Queen will also give a specially made toy of Winnie-the-Pooh character Roo to the New York Public Library to complete a set of the beloved characters in one of the institution’s collections.
Thursday
On Thursday morning, Charles and Camilla will return to the White House.
The president and first lady will greet them at the South Portico and say their farewells in the Diplomatic Reception Room.
At the end of the trip, Charles will travel solo to Bermuda for a three-day royal visit – his first to a British Overseas Territory as King.
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