World
King Charles arrives in US for trip overshadowed by Iran quarrel and shooting
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday afternoon for a four-day trip, a tour which has taken on even greater prominence after the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting and amid acrimony between the close allies.
The state visit, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’ reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence from British rule, and is the first to the country by a British monarch for two decades.
Charles and Camilla touched down at Joint Base Andrews and will head to the White House for a private meeting with US President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed royal fan. The week’s schedule includes an address to Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House and a stop in New York City.
The long-planned visit has become enmeshed in apolitical spat between the two countries over the US-Israeli war on Iran, which led Trump to voice deep displeasure with the British government for failing to support the offensive.
The shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where US officials have said the president and members of his administration were the likely targets, has cast a further pall over the visit.
Buckingham Palace said the trip would still go ahead as planned following discussions between British and US authorities to determine if the incident would impact the royals’ plans.
