The White House said the state visit would run from April 27 to April 30 and marked the first official state visit of Trump’s second term. Buckingham Palace said the program would celebrate historic and modern ties between the United Kingdom and the United States as America marks 250 years of independence.
The royal couple were welcomed at the White House before a private tea with the Trumps, according to live pool reporting and U.S. media coverage. The visit opened in Washington, D.C., the U.S. capital, before scheduled stops in New York and Virginia.
The trip is the first U.S. state visit by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2007, according to CBS News and other advance reporting on the itinerary. It is also Charles’s first state visit to the United States as monarch.
The visit comes at a politically sensitive point for UK-U.S. relations. The Associated Press reported that Charles is expected to address Congress on Tuesday, becoming the first British monarch to do so since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
Security remained part of the backdrop after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner over the weekend. The Guardian reported that the state visit proceeded after Buckingham Palace said the program would continue as planned.
The latter itinerary includes engagements in New York and Virginia linked to the wider 250th anniversary program, according to reporting on the official schedule and advance itinerary. Buckingham Palace said Charles would continue to Bermuda after the U.S. visit for his first royal visit as monarch to a British Overseas Territory.
The White House said the visit would continue through Thursday, April 30, when Trump and Melania Trump are scheduled to bid farewell to the King and Queen at the White House.
