King Charles III Addresses US Congress, Calls for Reconciliation and Renewal With the United States

King Charles III is expected to address a joint meeting of the US Congress on Tuesday as part of his four-day state visit to the United States, with the BBC saying the speech will include the line, "time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together" and a call for "reconciliation and renewal" between the US and UK.

“Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla are travelling to the United States for what is anticipated to be the most significant overseas visit of his reign to date”

Al Jazeera

The BBC also frames the address as coming at a tense moment in relations, citing that President Donald Trump has repeatedly lambasted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his response to the Iran war.

Al Jazeera

The InYourArea report says the address will take place on April 28 and will underline the strength of ties "despite recent political tensions," while CityNews Halifax (AP) describes the speech as an effort to spotlight a bond that can withstand "the political turmoil of the moment."

CityNews Halifax adds that Charles will become the first British monarch to address the US Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, and it notes the speech is intended to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary of independence from Britain.

The BBC says security in Washington DC is extremely tight, with the four-day state visit beginning just two days after a gunman stormed an event attended by the president in the capital.

The Al Jazeera itinerary piece says the royals arrive in the US on Monday, April 27 and will stay until Thursday, April 30, and it states the visit will go ahead "as planned" despite heightened security concerns following the shooting incident in Washington, DC, on Saturday night.

In the same BBC account, the King is expected to express sympathy over the attack in his speech and to urge that beliefs of tolerance, liberty and equality are defended, whether through supporting Nato or protecting Ukraine.

The state visit’s public choreography begins with the royals arriving in the US on Monday, April 27, as Al Jazeera reports, and it continues through Thursday, April 30, with the itinerary laid out in day-by-day detail.

On April 27, Al Jazeera says President Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, will welcome the royals at the South Portico of the White House, followed by a private tea in the Green Room and a tour of the newly expanded White House beehive on the South Lawn near the Kitchen Garden.

BBC

The BBC similarly describes the King and Queen being greeted at the White House by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, meeting on the South Portico with the building under construction, and then having tea in the Green Room.

The BBC also adds that the royal visitors were brought into the garden to see a newly-expanded beehive rebuilt in the shape of a miniature White House, and it says the honey-coated diplomacy was intended to appeal to King Charles, who is an enthusiastic supporter of bee-keeping.

On April 28, Al Jazeera says the day begins with a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, including a 21-gun salute from the Presidential Salute Battery and national anthems performed by the US Marine Band.

Al Jazeera further says the programme includes an inspection of the troops accompanied by the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and it describes a “Pass in Review” of 300 US service members with nearly 500 personnel from all six branches of the armed forces taking part, calling it a historic first for a state visit.

Al Jazeera also says the leaders will sign the White House guest book, take part in an official gift exchange, and join a receiving line with US and UK delegations, before the schedule splits between an Oval Office bilateral meeting and a cross-cultural event with students at the White House Tennis Pavilion using virtual reality and AI tools.

The BBC adds that the King’s speech is expected to last 20 minutes and that it forms part of a packed itinerary that started on Monday when the royal couple arrived at Andrews military airbase in Maryland.

The visit is taking place under heightened security after a gunman stormed an event attended by President Donald Trump in Washington DC, and the BBC says the state visit began just two days after that attack.

“King Charles III will meet Trump and address Congress in a bid to spotlight UK-US ties Posted Apr 28, 2026 01:10:57 AM”

CityNews Halifax

The BBC adds that the King is expected to express sympathy over the attack in his speech, and it describes the security posture as “extremely tight.”

Al Jazeera’s itinerary section similarly says the four-day trip will go ahead "as planned" despite heightened security concerns following the shooting incident in Washington, DC, on Saturday night.

In the BBC account, the King’s speech is also expected to be written on the advice of the government and to last 20 minutes, with the King urging that democratic values be defended and that tolerance, liberty and equality are protected.

InYourArea says the King will acknowledge recent events in Washington with a brief reference to a gun attack at a dinner attended by President Trump, and it says he will offer 'the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States' as the country marks 250 years since its independence.

CityNews Halifax (AP) describes the Oval Office meeting with Trump as closed to the public and notes the potential for awkwardness may be reduced because of the monarch’s expressly apolitical nature and Trump’s fondness for the royal family.

The Al Jazeera itinerary also says the programme includes a state arrival ceremony and multiple ceremonial elements on April 28, even as it emphasizes that the visit is proceeding despite the security concerns.

The sources portray the Congress address as a diplomatic effort to reinforce the UK-US relationship while navigating public friction between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The BBC says the speech comes at a tense time in relations, during which Trump has repeatedly lambasted Starmer over his response to the Iran war.

Gamereactor France

CityNews Halifax (AP) adds that Trump’s relationship with Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as Trump sought to rally international support for the war in Iran, and it quotes Trump saying, “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

CityNews Halifax also says Trump has imposed tariffs on the U.K. and warned of additional levies despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that made unilateral moves more challenging, and it reports 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.

The News International report frames the trip as one where King Charles will not 'take sides' between Trump and Starmer, quoting royal historian Ed Owens saying, "[King Charles] can’t talk politics explicitly, or take sides, but he can use his role as a statesman to exercise soft power."

Gamereactor France similarly says Charles seeks to play diplomat and ease relations with the White House, and it quotes the BBC expectation that Charles will say, "time and again, our two countries have always found ways to draw closer."

Al Jazeera’s itinerary piece says the visit coincides with the 250th anniversary of the US declaring independence and that it comes amid public differences over President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, while also stating the visit will go ahead "as planned".

In the BBC account, the King is expected to say the transatlantic alliance is built on a "generosity of spirit" and a duty to "foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value people of all faiths and none".

The visit also intersects with calls on the King to address the issue of Jeffrey Epstein, alongside engagements focused on domestic abuse and survivors.

“King Charles III is set to tell the US Congress that the relationship between the UK and the United States remains 'one of the greatest alliances in human history', as he highlights how the two nations have consistently found ways to 'come together'”

InYourArea

The BBC says there have been calls for the King and Queen to meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but it adds that this hasn't happened because of concerns about jeopardising the legal processes.

InYourArea

In the BBC account, Sandra Jackson—who told the Queen about her work for House of Ruth—said, "It's very important to have such advocates and it's a cause very close to her heart," and Jackson said she "respected their decision" regarding the Epstein-survivor meeting.

The BBC also quotes campaigner Michelle DeLaune saying it was a sign of progress that a prominent figure was talking publicly about the issue and raising its significance, and it includes Epstein survivor Rina Oh calling on the King "to hear our stories" and adding that it would be "so impactful" if the monarch used his speech to Congress to "acknowledge us".

CityNews Halifax (AP) similarly says there are calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein while he is in the U.S., and it reports Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged the king over the weekend to at least address the issue during his congressional speech.

CityNews Halifax adds that there’s no indication he will do so even as the scandal involving the convicted sex offender has ensnared his brother, who was arrested in February over misconduct allegations, which he denies.

Al Jazeera’s itinerary piece says the king is not expected to meet victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite a request from US Representative Ro Khanna for a private audience to be arranged.

Alongside these controversies, the BBC describes Queen Camilla talking with a group of women representing organisations campaigning against domestic abuse, and it says the King and Queen attended a crowded garden party at the UK embassy in Washington DC with more than 600 people.