King Charles’ state visit to the US will go ahead as scheduled, despite Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a spokesperson for the Royal Family said Sunday.
The British monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, are due to arrive on Monday for a four-day visit — although those plans were thrown into disarray after a gunman opened fire on security personnel at the Washington Hilton, forcing the Secret Service to rush President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other top administration officials to safety.
“Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of Government, we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned,” a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said Sunday.
“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the Visit getting underway tomorrow,” the spokesperson continued.
Charles and Camilla are said to have reached out personally to Trump and First Lady Melania to express their sympathy following Saturday’s shooting, according to a Palace source.
This week’s trip will include a private meeting between Charles and Trump in the White House, while the monarch will also address Congress to mark 250 years since America’s independence from Britain.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was born in the former British colony of Uganda, is due to meet Charles at the 9/11 memorial on Wednesday.
A palace source said there might be small operational changes to one or two engagements in light of the Saturday night attack, although it wasn’t clear what those changes might be.
Earlier, the spokesperson said Charles was being kept fully informed of developments and was relieved that Trump, his wife, and all guests had been unharmed.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche reassured the British that Charles and Camilla would be safe during their trip.
US authorities believe the alleged gunman Cole Allen was targeting the president and top administration officials, Blanche added.
British officials will be in touch with the Secret Service throughout the royal visit, British official Darren Jones said Sunday.
“In respect of His Majesty’s visit to the United States next week … our security services obviously remain in close cooperation in advance of that,” Jones told Sky News.
The visit comes at a time of strained relations between London and Washington, worsened over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s refusal to support Trump’s military action in Iran.
With Post wires.
