Trump Says King Charles Will Be Very Safe During U.S. State Visit After Washington Shooting

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to begin a four-day state visit to the United States on Monday, after Donald Trump said the king would be "very safe" during the trip following security talks after a gunman gained access to an event attended by Trump in Washington DC on Saturday.

“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 reported that further security talks took place between the White House and Buckingham Palace after the Saturday incident, and that Trump told CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday that the grounds of the White House, where King Charles will visit, are "really safe."

Al Jazeera

Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen's programme will go ahead largely as planned, while the UK government hopes it could ease diplomatic tensions.

The BBC also said the King and Queen privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the attack, during which a Secret Service agent was lightly injured and the president and his wife were rushed to safety.

The Anadolu Ajansı similarly described Christian Turner calling the visit an effort to "renew and revitalize a unique friendship" between Britain and the US, while saying the four-day state visit would go ahead largely as planned after talks between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump on Sunday.

CNBC added that Buckingham Palace said there would be "a few minor modifications to the schedule" and quoted the palace confirmation that "the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned."

Multiple outlets laid out the visit’s timing and program details, with Al Jazeera saying the royals arrive in the US on Monday, April 27 and stay until Thursday, April 30.

Al Jazeera described April 27 as including arrival, tea and a White House tour, with President Trump and Melania Trump welcoming the royals at the South Portico of the White House and the couples moving to the State Floor for a private tea in the Green Room.

Anadolu Ajansı

It also said the day would include a tour of the newly expanded White House beehive on the South Lawn near the Kitchen Garden, followed by a brief farewell as the royals depart the White House grounds.

For April 28, Al Jazeera reported a full ceremonial programme with a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, military honours by the US Army Herald Trumpets, and a 21-gun salute from the Presidential Salute Battery.

Al Jazeera further said the programme includes a "Pass in Review" of 300 US service members, with nearly 500 personnel from all six branches of the armed forces taking part in the ceremony, described as a historic first for a state visit.

Spectrum News added a similar structure, saying the king will address a joint session of Congress, the first by a British monarch in 35 years, while the visit continues to New York for a 9/11 commemoration and to Virginia before heading to Bermuda.

The visit’s security context was repeatedly tied to the Saturday night incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which multiple outlets described as involving a suspected shooter trying to gain access to a hall at the Washington Hilton hotel.

“President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it want”

AnewZ

CNBC said the suspected gunman was identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended by security personnel, and was due to be formally charged in court in Washington on Monday.

LBC similarly described a suspect identified by US authorities as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen attempting to storm the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel armed with guns and knives, and it said the King and Queen's visit would go ahead with "adjustments" following "discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day."

The Guardian’s framing connected the security scare to the visit’s broader difficulty, quoting Anthony Seldon saying the visit was "obviously beyond tricky" and that it involved "somebody who is so unpredictable."

The Guardian also reported that Charles’s visit would have "appropriate security in place in relation to the risk," citing a minister who said so after Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner when the event was interrupted by gunfire.

In the same Guardian report, Darren Jones told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that "There’ll be appropriate security in place in relation to the risk," and Buckingham Palace confirmed that "A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day" to assess whether Saturday evening would impact operational planning.

Beyond security, the visit was described as occurring amid strained US-UK relations, with outlets emphasizing different angles on what the trip means politically.

The BBC said the state visit comes at an unusually difficult time for the US and UK partnership, noting that Trump has criticised Starmer over not supporting the US in its conflict with Iran and that there have been disagreements between the two allies.

BBC

The Anadolu Ajansı similarly said the visit comes at a difficult moment in relations, citing Trump’s criticism of Starmer over his stance on the US-Israeli war with Iran and disagreements persisting between the allies, while also quoting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey calling for the visit to be cancelled as Trump an "unreliable" ally.

CNBC framed the timing as coming "just two days after" the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and said the Royals' four-day visit would go ahead despite security concerns, while also tying the trip to the ongoing Iran war and Washington’s frustration with London’s reluctance to join.

In contrast, the CBS News explainer emphasized the visit’s symbolic purpose and the palace language about shared history, quoting the palace that the visit will be "an opportunity to recognise the shared history of our two nations" and "the deep people-to-people connections which unite communities."

The Guardian’s analysis focused on the potential pitfalls for the monarch, quoting Anthony Seldon saying the visit was "obviously beyond tricky" and that the key challenge was dealing with "somebody who is so unpredictable," while also quoting Prof Philip Murphy saying the risk was more significant for Keir Starmer than for Charles.

The stakes described by the sources centered on how the king’s Congress address and the state visit’s ceremonial diplomacy could affect US-UK relations after the shooting and amid disputes over Iran and other issues.

“Washington — King Charles III and Queen Camilla are arriving in the U”

CBS News

The BBC said the diplomatic centrepiece would be the King's speech to the US Congress on Tuesday, in which the king would have to achieve a balancing act between asserting the UK government's positions and maintaining friendly relations with Trump, and it also noted that the US president would make his own remarks at a state dinner at the White House.

CBS News

CBS News similarly said the king and Mr. Trump are seeking to strengthen and signify their countries' ties at a time when the US war with Iran and the president's derision of NATO threaten to undermine the "special relationship" the two allies have treasured since World War II.

The Guardian added that Charles’s address to a joint meeting of Congress will be televised internationally and could be his "most important" speech yet, with Buckingham Palace saying he will "recognise the challenges that our countries face."

It also quoted Prof Philip Murphy warning that the king’s contact with Trump could put the king’s dignity in peril, saying they "put his dignity in peril" by putting him in contact with Trump, who is "both hugely controversial and a very tricky person to deal with in public."

Looking ahead to the itinerary’s later days, Al Jazeera said April 29 would include a ceremony at the September 11 memorial and travel to Virginia for events linked to celebrations marking 250 years since the US founding, while Spectrum News said the visit would include New York and Virginia before heading to Bermuda.