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By Gabe Whisnant and Jack Royston
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King Charles gave Donald Trump a warm handshake while Camilla kissed Melania Trump on both cheeks as the two couples met at the White House on Monday afternoon.
The four then posed side by side for photographs prior to heading for their private tea which will mark their first opportunity to talk away from the cameras during the visit so far. After their White House visit, the royal couple attended a garden party at the British Embassy.
Britain hopes the State Visit will warm struggling relations between Britain and America against the backdrop of the Iran war.
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King Charles' U.S. Itinerary
The 77‑year‑old king, who was diagnosed in early 2024 with an undisclosed form of cancer, is spending four days in the country accompanied by Queen Camilla.
In Washington on Tuesday, the king and queen are scheduled to attend a formal state dinner at the White House.
The couple will also visit the Sept. 11 memorial in New York and attend a 250th birthday block party in Virginia, where Charles is set to meet with Indigenous leaders involved in nature conservation, a cause he has long championed.
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Former Thatcher Aide: Trump 'Cares Deeply' About UK
Nile Gardiner, a former aide to past British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, told Newsweek the body language between the King and Queen and the Trumps looked “very, very cordial.”
“Actually, the King and Donald Trump get on very well,” he said. “And I do think the president is a big admirer of the royal family and the British monarchy and President Trump really cares deeply, actually, about the monarchy and the US-UK special relationship.
“He doesn't for Keir Starmer, of course, and his Labour government but in terms of the big picture Trump is very pro-British. Clearly he's disappointed with the government that's in place in the UK right now but that doesn't change in any way the level of warmth and huge regard that he has for the royal family.”
Gardiner did, though, think Charles should risk a comment about the Falkland Islands after a leaked Pentagon memo suggested America could re-evaluate its support for British sovereignty.
The Falklands are a British overseas territory off the south east cost of Argentina, a country that has long made a claim to control of the islands.
In 1982, Argentina invaded prompting a war in which Britain, under Thatcher, reclaimed control by force. Any shift in America’s stance would be seen as a threat to Britain’s national interest on a subject that the U.K. takes very seriously, and particularly among Conservatives.
“I do think that the Falklands story has been exaggerated in the UK,” Gardiner said, “because this is one single official in the Pentagon who has produced a memo. This is not official US policy.
“There's been no shift in US policy on the Falklands, and the White House has not weighed in, nor has the State Department. And I think that there hasn't been any movement in overall US policy on the Falklands.
“Now, having said that I've called on the King to mention the Falklands in the King's speech and talk about the defensive self-determination and sovereignty in his address.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla Touch Down at Joint Base Andrews
King Charles touched down in Washington D.C. Monday afternoon. Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Joint Base Andrews where they were greeted by diplomats including Britain's ambassador to America Sir Christian Turner.
The couple were given flowers from children of British military families based in America before heading on to the White House for a private tea with President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
King Charles has visited the United States 19 times, but this marks his first state visit since becoming monarch in 2022. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made four state visits to the U.S. during her reign.
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Why King Charles Is Visiting U.S.
The official purpose of the visit is to mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence but tensions between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arising from the U.K. resisting the President's request for Britain to join the Iran war have created an additional backdrop.
The hope in Britain is that Trump's often discussed love of the British Monarchy may help restore the alliance between Britain and America.
King Charles Arrives for First Day of State Visit to America
Charles and Camilla touched down a little earlier than expected and took time to speak to diplomats and other dignitaries waiting for them on the runway.
The Trumps welcomed them to the White House at the South Portico before the two couples enjoyed a private tea away from the cameras at which they will get their first proper opportunity to speak in depth during the visit.
Turner said in a statement that the king and queen were "celebrating 250 years of friendship, common history and common values.”
Ambassador Monica Crowley, Chief of Protocol of the United States, added in a statement, "Every aspect of the White House program has been thoughtfully designed by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to celebrate our rich shared history—and to look forward to the next 250 years of the special relationship.”
Dr. Patrick Allitt, Professor of History at Emory University, told Newsweek the king’s best strategy would be to avoid the political backdrop completely: "Even Trump knows that the king isn't a policy maker, Trump just loves to bask in the reflected glory of just being in the presence of the king.
“It helps him to feel important, so that the actual policy questions are relatively insignificant and all the king has got to do is make sure he doesn't make any substantive comment on all the important issues.”
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Calls to Cancel King Charles' State Visit to America
There have been multiple calls in Britain to cancel the visit, initially due to anger on the part of some politicians at Trump's comments toward the U.K. In particular, many reacted badly after Trump said in January that NATO forces, which included Britain, "stayed a little back, a little off the front lines" in Afghanistan.
Trump later added: “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!”
However, as Trump took repeated swipes at Keir Starmer over Britain's reluctance to be drawn into the Iran war, opposition politicians began ramping up their calls to cancel the trip, led by Ed Davey leader of the Liberal Democrats.
"Keir Starmer should advise the King that the state visit to the U.S. scheduled for April should be called off," Davey said last month. "At a time when Trump has launched an illegal war that is devastating the Middle East and pushing up energy bills for British families, it's clear this visit should not go ahead. A state visit from our King would be seen as yet another huge diplomatic coup for President Trump, so it should not be given to someone who repeatedly insults and damages our country."
More recently though, security concerns have given some in Britain an additional reason to ask for the visit to be scrapped.
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Security Concerns Over King Charles' Visit
A shooting incident disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night after an armed man charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel, prompting the evacuation of President Trump, senior administration officials and hundreds of journalists.
A U.S. Secret Service officer was struck by a bullet but was protected by a ballistic vest and is expected to recover. No other injuries were reported among guests or hotel staff
Cole Tomas Allen, a 31‑year‑old tutor and computer engineer from Torrance, California, has been accused by authorities of being behind the shooting and was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He made his first appearance in Federal Court on Monday.
Security for the visit was reviewed but Buckingham Palace and the U.K. police protection team decided to push ahead after talks with their U.S. counterparts.
Alex Bomberg, founder of Intelligent Protection International Limited, an international provider of Royalty protection, told Newsweek the attack on Saturday night would not be perceived as a direct threat to the visiting royals: "There's no known threats to the King or Queen."
"I think it will be very, very well managed," he continued, "I think if there was any sign of any immediate threat to the king, they just wouldn't go, they'd call it off. The fact they are still going ahead shows that RASP [the Royalty and specialist protection branch of the Metropolitan Police] have got full trust in their hosts. The secret service are very good at what they do and regardless of what took place at the weekend the fact is the security did work. The guy was stopped. I think it will be fine and very well managed so I don't think there will be any massive issues."
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