Charles III and his wife Camilla were received by Donald and Melania Trump at the White House on Monday. A royal visit which comes in the midst of diplomatic tension around the conflict in Iran. On Tuesday, the British sovereign will deliver a speech to the American Congress.

Published on: 04/27/2026 - 04:57 Modified on: 04/28/2026 - 14:30

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla were received on Monday April 27 by Donald Trump, on the first day of a visit which shortly follows a new alleged assassination attempt on the American president.

The royal couple was greeted by the Republican leader and his wife Melania around 8:20 p.m. GMT at the South Entrance of the White House. All four posed on the red carpet, the king and the president exchanging a few words that were inaudible to the journalists present, before going inside the building to have tea, away from the press.

Charles III, keen on flora and fauna, Queen Camilla and the presidential couple also visited the hives of the White House. Only press photographers were able to follow these moments. The whole thing lasted a little over an hour.

Delicate diplomatic mission

In various photos, we see the two couples around a coffee table loaded with cups and pastries, then in the gardens in front of a display of jars of honey and near a model of the future ballroom of the White House, a project dear to Donald Trump.

Another photograph shows the group passing near a painting representing the American president with his fist raised just after the assassination attempt which targeted him in the summer of 2025 during a meeting in Pennsylvania (east).

King Charles and Queen Camilla then headed to the British embassy for a garden party.

On her arrival at the airport, the Queen wore a brooch bringing together the American and British flags, reproduced in precious stones, on a white dress decorated with black embroidery. The jewel sums up the delicate diplomatic mission of Charles III, who wants to try to ease the relationship between London and Washington.

250th anniversary of American independence

The state visit is to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, and celebrate the ties between the two countries. It “will take place as planned,” Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, a few hours after an armed assailant tried to force entry to a gala dinner in the presence of the American president.

The confirmation of the trip delighted the Republican leader, fascinated by the monarchical pomp, as quick to praise the sovereign as he was lavish in criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “He’s a great guy,” Donald Trump said of the king in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, “he represents his country like no one else can.”

The British Ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner, spoke on Sunday of the American president's "tremendous enthusiasm" for this visit, with which Donald Trump also returns the courtesy after being received with pomp in the United Kingdom last year.

Tuesday, the most formal day of the trip will begin with a military welcome ceremony. Donald Trump and Charles III will have a meeting in the Oval Office, while their wives will participate in an event dedicated to education and artificial intelligence.

Speech before Congress

The same day, the British sovereign will deliver a speech to the American Congress – the first of its kind since Elizabeth II in 1991. According to an extract provided by the king's press service, he is expected to discuss the historical ties that unite the two countries, which "have always found ways to come together." A speech in which he should also recall that the defense of democratic ideals is "essential for freedom and equality" in the face of international challenges.

The two couples will meet in the evening for a gala dinner with a fairly small group in a reception room of the White House.

Traveling to New York on Wednesday, the King and Queen will visit the memorial to the September 11 attacks. Charles III will want to do everything to prevent the tension between London and Washington from producing a discordant note in this well-oiled pomp.

The monarch has the implicit mission of coaxing Donald Trump, certainly personally well disposed towards him, but exasperated by the reservations of the British authorities concerning the war in Iran, among other subjects of discord. All without giving too much ascendancy to the unpredictable American president, which would fuel the already numerous criticisms in the United Kingdom of this trip. In addition to attacking Keir Starmer, the American president shook up the transatlantic “special relationship” by attacking the British army and navy.

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The trip has another explosive subject in the background: the Epstein affair and the past friendship of the king's brother, Andrew, with the late child molester. Commentators will be watching for any allusion, even the most subtle, to this affair which continues to shake the British monarchy and the MAGA sphere, on both sides of the Atlantic.

With AFP

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