WASHINGTON (AP) —King Charles IIIwill embrace some of Washington’s most formal ceremonial trappings as hetries to emphasize a bondbetween the United Kingdom and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the political turmoil of the moment.
US Britain Royal Visit Trump
The visit comes at a challenging moment for U.S.-UK relations. U.S. President Donald Trump’s up-and-down relationship with Prime MinisterKeir Starmerhas taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran.
The king, accompanied byQueen Camilla, will begin his day with a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump around 10:35 a.m. ET. The King is then scheduled to address theU.S. Congressat 3 p.m. ET, the body’s first address from a British monarch sinceQueen Elizabeth II’s in 1991. The day will end with an expectedly buzzy dinner at the White House.
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Charles has faced some calls to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein
Charles has faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims ofJeffrey Epsteinwhile he is in the U.S. There’s no indication that he will do so, even as the scandal involving the convicted sex offender has ensnared his brother, the former Prince Andrew, who wasarrested in Februaryover misconduct allegations, which the latter has denied.
U.S. Rep.Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged the king over the weekend to at least address the issue during his congressional speech.
Trump has maintained warm relations with the King
The president has spoken in glowing terms about Charles, repeatedly referring to the monarch as his “friend” and a “great guy.”
He also continues to mention his “amazing” trip to the U.K. in September with Melania Trump for anunprecedented second state visit. Starmer hand-delivered the invitation from the king in the Oval Office five weeks after Trump returned to office, in a very public attempt to woo the Republican president.
The U.K. royal family laid on pomp and pageantry for the Trumps, with scarlet-clad guardsmen, brass bands and a sumptuous banquet at Windsor Castle.
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“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 visit comes at a challenging moment for US-UK relations
Trump’s up-and-down relationship with Prime MinisterKeir Starmerhas taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. Trump lamented that Starmer, who has largely resisted his overtures, was “no Churchill.”
Trump has also imposed tariffs on the U.K. and warned of additional levies despite aSupreme Court rulingearlier this year that has made such unilateral moves more challenging. Still, Trump threatened just last week to slap a “big tariff” on the U.K. if it doesn’t scrap a digital services tax on U.S. technology companies.
Trump has more broadly challenged the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance with efforts toannex Greenlandand threats to walk away fromNATO. He has repeatedly imposed tariffs on and tauntedCanada, a member of the British Commonwealth.
A rare royal address to Congress
King Charles III will become the first British monarch to address theU.S. Congresssince his mother,Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. Her speech highlighted the shared history of both countries and the importance of their democratic values, themes Charles will likely reinforce on Tuesday.
Such addresses are an opportunity afforded to only the most prominent world leaders, including Pope Francis, Václav Havel and Winston Churchill. It will likely mark the most extensive public remarks Charles will deliver during a four-day visit to the U.S. that’s intended to celebrate the country’s250th anniversaryof independence from Britain.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla head to the White House
The king, accompanied byQueen Camilla, will begin his day with a meeting at the White House with Trump. The Oval Office encounter offers the potential for the freewheeling, sometimes controversial meetings with foreign leaders that have become routine during Trump’s second term.
Given the expressly apolitical nature of the British monarch and Trump’s fondness for the royal family, the likelihood of an awkward meeting may be reduced.
Trump will host Charles on Tuesday evening for a state banquet at the White House.