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State visit under strain
King Charles III began a four-day state visit to the United States on Monday, arriving as trans-Atlantic ties were under strain and security concerns were in the spotlight after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
“time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together”
The BBC said the visit is expected to include the King’s address to the US Congress later on Tuesday, with the King expected to say “time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together” and to call for “reconciliation and renewal” between the US and UK.
The PBS/AP report said President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were expected to greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla at 4:15 p.m. EDT, and it quoted Buckingham Palace saying the King “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.”
The Conversation described the visit as running from April 27 to 30, and it said the state visit is the first since 2007, when Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by President George W. Bush.
NPR framed the timing as “a fraught time for U.S.-UK relations,” noting Trump’s repeated comments about the visit and his clashes with the UK over the Iran war.
NBC News added that the trip is intended to repair what it called the “special relationship,” while also noting that British royals aim to stay above the political fray.
Across the coverage, the itinerary is described as continuing despite the weekend’s shooting, with the palace saying the trip “will proceed as planned.”
Iran war and diplomatic friction
The state visit is taking place against a backdrop of disputes between Washington and London, with the Iran war repeatedly cited as a driver of tension.
NPR said Trump has clashed with the UK over the Iran war, including mocking Prime Minister Keir Starmer and insisting “When we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn't need them, they were not there. And they still aren't there,” which NPR attributed to Trump.
The BBC reported that the King’s address comes “at a tense time in relations,” during which President Donald Trump has repeatedly lambasted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his response to the Iran war.
NBC News described Trump’s criticism of Starmer’s lack of support for the war with Iran and noted that Trump “yanked his backing for a plan to cede sovereignty of a British territory in the Indian Ocean that is home to a joint U.S.-British military base.”
The Conversation added that Trump has repeatedly criticised Keir Starmer over a lack of support for the US military operation in Iran, and it also said Trump called the UK’s plan to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius an “act of great stupidity”.
PBS/AP also described a wider rift with NATO allies, saying Trump has called them “cowards” and “useless” for not joining action against Iran, and it noted a leaked Pentagon email suggested the US could reassess support for the UK’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
NBC News further tied the diplomatic strain to the Falklands, saying a Reuters-published internal Pentagon email proposed punishing Britain for its stance on the Iran war by reviewing the U.S. position on the Falkland Islands.
In the middle of these disputes, the BBC said the King’s speech is expected to touch on topics the US and UK disagree on, including NATO, and to focus on renewing relations between the countries.
Security after the shooting
The shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday triggered last-minute security reviews and raised questions about whether the state visit would proceed.
“sparked a last-minute security review but the trip's itinerary appears unaffected”
NPR said a Saturday night shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner sparked a last-minute security review but that the trip's itinerary appears unaffected.
The BBC reported that security in Washington DC is “extremely tight,” and it said the four-day state visit began just two days after a gunman stormed an event attended by the president in the capital.
PBS/AP described the same sequence, saying the shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit.
Buckingham Palace told PBS/AP that the King “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed,” and it said after a security review the palace stated the trip “will proceed as planned.”
The Guardian reported that the White House agreed that any meeting between King Charles and Donald Trump should be held off camera, and it linked that decision to fears of a repeat of scenes when Trump berated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the world’s press.
The Guardian also said the government confirmed on Sunday that the trip would go ahead as planned despite the weekend’s shooting, and it said officials said the King’s security arrangements have changed slightly as a result while the schedule remains unchanged.
NBC News described Charles and Queen Camilla reaching out privately to express their concern after shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, and it quoted a spokesperson saying “A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with U.S. colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit.”
Who pushed for the trip
The decision to proceed with the state visit, despite calls for cancellation, is reflected in how British officials explained the rationale for encouraging King Charles to travel to Washington.
CNN reported that British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper explained why she encouraged King Charles to visit President Trump, speaking in an exclusive interview with Jake Tapper.
The Guardian said ministers pinned “great hopes” on the state visit, hoping it would help repair the relationship between the two countries at “one of its most difficult periods in decades,” and it described the government’s aim to talk the president down from aggressive statements.
The Conversation added that Lib Dem leader Ed Davey called for the visit to be cancelled, and it said Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said it should be delayed while the war in Iran is ongoing.
PBS/AP described the political stakes as already raised by a rift between the U.K. government and Trump over issues including the Iran war, and it said the royal visit is the first since 2007.
NBC News quoted a spokesperson for Starmer pushing back on the Falkland Islands issue, saying: “We could not be clearer about the U.K.’s position on the Falkland Islands. It is longstanding, it is unchanged.”
The Guardian also described how officials expected Yvette Cooper to accompany the King at events and to step in if needed, quoting a source saying “She’s ready to leap into action as a human shield for the king should Trump start criticising Starmer or the UK more generally, as he is prone to do,” while another source said “He reads all his papers and knows exactly what is going on. We think he’ll be just fine.”
In parallel, NPR said the meeting could serve to ease tensions “if only temporarily,” while also emphasizing that the monarchy is considered a tool of the UK’s soft power.
Stakes, messaging, and reactions
The stakes of the visit are described not only in terms of security and diplomacy, but also in how the King’s speech and private interactions could be read by both governments and the public.
“whether through supporting Nato or protecting Ukraine”
The BBC said the King will urge that beliefs of tolerance, liberty and equality are defended, “whether through supporting Nato or protecting Ukraine,” and it said the speech is written on the advice of the government and is expected to last 20 minutes.
The Guardian said Charles will be spared the potential humiliation of being upbraided in public by Donald Trump, with the White House agreeing that the meeting should be held off camera, and it said Charles will pose for the cameras at the start of the centrepiece bilateral meeting but will not be filmed talking about anything substantive.
NPR said Trump has recently clashed with the UK over the Iran war and that the meeting between the leaders could ease tensions “if only temporarily,” while also noting that the King and Queen are required to remain politically neutral.
PBS/AP reported that Buckingham Palace said the trip would proceed as planned after the security review, and it described the King and Queen’s arrival at Andrews military airbase in Maryland and their reception by US chief of protocol Monica Crowley and British ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner.
The Conversation added that the final decision over whether to cancel or proceed with a state visit lies with the government, not the king, and it quoted Buckingham Palace’s wording that the visit would take place “on advice of His Majesty’s Government.”
NBC News added that Charles and Queen Camilla reached out privately to express concern after the shooting, and it also described the political optics, including a YouGov poll that showed “only 16% of Britons have a favorable opinion of the U.S. president.”
In a further sign of how the visit is being framed, the Guardian included Trump’s praise on CBS News’s 60 Minutes, quoting the president saying: “[The king] is a great guy, and we look forward to it,” and “He’s really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he’s brave.”
