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Arrival and itinerary begins
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday to begin a four-day state visit marking the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain, with the trip described as the first since Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit in 2007.
“The trip will start in Washington D”
The visit began in Washington, D.C., where the royals were greeted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on a red carpet outside the White House after landing at Joint Base Andrews.
ABC News reported that “Charles and Camilla were shown the White House beehive by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump,” as videos shared by a top White House aide showed the king and queen inspecting a White House-shaped beehive.
PBS/AP said the plane carrying Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, landed at a U.S. military base in Maryland, just outside Washington, and that after accepting flower bouquets from children of British military families based in the United States, the couple climbed into a black car to be driven to Washington.
BBC described the red carpet being rolled out and said the royal couple walked through a guard of honour as a military band played both the US and UK national anthems.
The early schedule included afternoon tea at the White House and then a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence, with NBC News saying the garden party was “an event first held for King George VI in 1939.”
CNN’s day-one account said the royals met Trump and Melania Trump at the White House for tea and then attended a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC.
Security review after shooting
The state visit began under heightened security after a shooting incident at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday, which triggered a last-minute security review of the four-day trip.
ABC News said the royals’ visit came “at a heightened time,followingashooting incidentoutside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner,” and it added that the trip was “under the shadow of Charles' brotherAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor'sconnection to theongoingEpstein scandal.”
PBS/AP reported that “A shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit,” and said Buckingham Palace confirmed the king was “greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.”
CNN likewise said the visit was underway despite the shooting at a press gala in Washington, DC, on Saturday, and that the king was expected to make a brief reference to the incident during his scheduled joint address to Congress tomorrow.
Fox News quoted a Buckingham Palace spokesperson saying, “we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned,” and it framed the decision as following “discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day” and “acting on [the] advice of [the] government.”
China Daily said security for the trip was reviewed on Sunday and that Buckingham Palace confirmed, “we can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned.”
The BBC and NBC accounts described the ceremonial start continuing as planned, with BBC noting the guard of honour and national anthems and NBC News describing the formal greeting at the White House and the garden party at the British ambassador’s residence.
Diplomatic tensions and political backdrop
Beyond security, the visit unfolded against a diplomatic backdrop marked by strains between the U.S. and the U.K. over the war in Iran and public criticisms involving U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
CBC said relations were “strained between the U.S. and the U.K. right now, particularly over the war in Iran,” and it described “the repeated and pointed criticisms U.S. President Donald Trump has directed toward both Britain and its prime minister, Keir Starmer.”
CBS News said the visit came “at a time when the U.S. war with Iran and the president's derision of NATO threaten to undermine the
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