King Charles and Queen Camilla will meet US President Donald Trump in late April, as a state visit to the United States has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
On the way back, the King will pay a visit to Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic.
The US trip has been expected for some time, but such visits are carried out on behalf of the UK government – and an official announcement appeared to have been waiting for a gap in the political tensions over the Iran war.
Full details of the itinerary in the US have still to be released, but it will include Washington DC, in what will be the first UK state visit to the US since Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 2007.
President Trump has published on social media that the US visit will be between 27-30 April, with “a beautiful Banquet Dinner at the White House on the evening of April 28th”.
He said that, along with First Lady Melania Trump, he would “look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!”
It is also expected that King Charles will deliver an address to Congress.
The US marks its 250th anniversary of independence this year – and that will be a significant focus of the trip, with Buckingham Palace saying the trip will “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship” between the countries.
Shortly before the trip was announced on Tuesday, President Trump lashed out at the UK and other countries over the Iran war, telling them to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz and “the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us”.
Ever since President Trump’s visit to the UK last September, there has been speculation about the King carrying out a return visit.
The US president’s visit to Windsor Castle seemed to have smoothed UK-US relations, with Trump last week saying of his time with the King: “He honoured me and our country… we had an amazing time.”
Trump also spoke of the warmth of his personal relationship with the King – “I think he’s fantastic” – and the president said he was looking forward to hosting the King at a state banquet.
There is also likely to be interest in whether the King will meet his son Prince Harry, who lives in the US, during the visit.–BBC
