King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in Washington D.C. on Monday, 27 April, for a four-day state visit to the United States, the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2007.
The royal couple will be hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, with a state banquet at the White House confirmed for Tuesday, 28 April.
The visit arrives at a charged moment. It follows less than 24 hours after a gunman opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, prompting Trump’s Secret Service detail to rush the president off stage before the suspect was taken into custody.
The White House has confirmed the royal state visit is proceeding as scheduled, as reported by NPR.
What is planned during the four-day programme
The itinerary spans Washington D.C. and New York City. In the capital, King Charles will deliver an address to a joint meeting of both houses of the United States Congress, making him the first British monarch to do so since Queen Elizabeth II addressed Congress in 1991.
A garden party, a tea party and a military ceremonial review are also on the programme before the state banquet at the White House on Tuesday evening.
The visit coincides with the United States Semiquincentennial, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as reported by Time.
The presence of the British Crown at that milestone carries an unmistakable historical resonance, given the founding conflict between the two nations.
New York leg and Queen Camilla’s separate engagements
Following the Washington programme, Charles and Camilla will travel to New York City, where they will visit the September 11 Memorial and attend a community project in Harlem.
The pair is also scheduled to attend a ceremony marking the centenary of Winnie the Pooh, the children’s character created by British author A.A. Milne in 1926.
Queen Camilla will hold separate meetings during the New York leg with representatives from campaign organisations working on issues of domestic abuse and violence against women.
King Charles became monarch in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He was subsequently diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, making this state visit one of the most visible international engagements of his reign.
His health has remained a matter of sustained public attention since his diagnosis, and his presence on the world stage in Washington will be closely watched.
This is the first visit of this kind since President George W. Bush hosted Queen Elizabeth II at the White House in May 2007.
Full arrival details and the formal reception programme are expected to be confirmed by the White House and Buckingham Palace ahead of Monday’s arrival.
