King Charles is expected to address the ‘challenging’ nature of the Anglo-American relationship in an historic address to Congress as officials on Tuesday confirmed his controversial State Visit to the United States will go ahead.
As further details of the potentially explosive four-day trip later this month were released by Buckingham Palace, it also emerged that Queen Camilla will be meeting with domestic and sexual abuse survivors on several occasions, despite royal aides having to turn down a request to speak to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
Officials have also taken steps to minimise potential embarrassment to the monarchy at the hands of President Donald Trump, who has been outspoken in recent weeks about his contempt for British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his handling of British foreign policy.
Although there will be formal speeches at a glittering White House State Dinner to welcome the sovereign and his wife, any conversations between the two men will take place behind closed doors without media present.
And the traditional ‘walkabouts’ that are normally part of such a high-profile visit are notably absent from the programme, apparently on the advice of the security services, although there will be opportunities for the royal couple to meet the American people as part of a series of carefully-managed public engagements.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman on Tuesday acknowledged the visit, which is taking place at the request of the British government and has faced repeated calls to be scrapped, came at a perilous time for the so-called ‘special relationship’.
They said of the visit, which has been in the planning for almost a year to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence: ‘This is celebrating a partnership between two nations and two peoples. It is a relationship that has survived many presidencies and, of course, many reigns, and will no doubt continue to do so long into the future.’
Sources emphasised that the King and Queen have a ‘unique role to play in terms of building alliances, even in challenging circumstances’.
The whole strategic objective of a State Visit, they stressed, was for the King to utilise and demonstrate the monarchy’s legendary brand of ‘soft power’ to cement even tricky relationships.
It has been suggested that the King’s address to a joint meeting of Congress, only the second time a British monarch has been invited to do so, following his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1991, would be a chance to do just that.
An FCDO spokesman added: ‘So, yes, we are close allies, we do disagree on things, but that doesn’t detract from the value that both sides get from this relationship and have done over many decades.’
President Trump has branded the UK’s approach to the Iran conflict as ‘terrible’ and repeatedly ridiculed Sir Keir, dismissing him as ‘not Winston Churchill’.
He has also lambasted the depleted Royal Navy, denigrating Britain’s warships as ‘toys’.
The King is head of the armed forces in the UK, and there have been calls for him to raise the issue directly with President Trump when they meet.
King Charles’ State Visit will take place from April 27-30, taking in Washington DC, New York and Virginia.
A palace spokesman described it as an ‘opportunity to recognise the shared history of our two nations; the breadth of the economic, security and cultural relationship that has developed since then; and the deep people-to-people connections which unite communities.’
Charles, 77, and Camilla, 78, will be ‘informally welcomed’ to President Trump and the First Lady with a private tea, followed by a large party featuring guests from both the British and US communities.
The formal welcome to the White House will take place later, affording the King full military honours, similar to those previously received by President Trump in the UK.
The two men will undertake a private bilateral meeting at the US leader’s official residence, during which every ounce of the King’s life-long experience in international diplomacy will come to the fore.
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla will join First Lady Melania Trump for their own tete-a-tete.
Afterwards, watched by his wife, the King will give a carefully calibrated speech to Congress before the couple are hosted at a lavish State Dinner back at the White House.
Before leaving Washington, Their Majesties will lay a wreath and flowers in honour of the fallen, marking the military partnership between the UK and the US.
In New York, Charles and Camilla will undertake a series of engagements reflecting the modern relationship between the UK and the US, including the strong economic and cultural ties.
This will include a commemoration of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks almost 25 years ago, meeting first responders and the families of victims.
The King will also visit a grassroots community organisation who help children affected by food insecurity through ‘urban, after-school farming’, as well as business and financial leaders.
Meanwhile, the Queen will attend a literary event, the highlight of which will be a celebration of Winnie the Pooh’s 100th birthday, as well as using her Queen’s Reading Room charity to bring together high-profile writers from both sides of the Atlantic.
The couple will conclude the New York leg of their visit at a reception to celebrate the work of the King’s Trust for disadvantaged young people.
Back in Washington, there will be an official farewell from the President and First Lady before the couple travel to Virginia, meeting residents, community organisations and Appalachian cultural groups at a ‘block party’ – the American version of a traditional British street party.
Their visit to Virginia will also include taking in one of America’s national parks, where the King will meet with indigenous communities, while the Queen will visit a farm to highlight America’s horse racing industry and its links with the UK.
Throughout her time in the US, it is understood that she will meet, as she normally does, with organisations working in the arena of domestic and sexual violence, as well as survivors, part of her wider public engagements.
These meetings happen regularly both at home and abroad, as Camilla has been a long-term advocate in the field.
But suggestions she could meet with Epstein survivors have been firmly quashed, amid concern that it could interfere with official police investigations in the UK, particularly involving the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
A Buckingham Palace source said: ‘There is no deviation from the guidance that we’ve previously issued, that it will not be possible during this State Visit for a meeting to take place of the kind that has been suggested.
‘We fully understand and appreciate the survivors’ position, but can only reiterate that our position is clear that anything that could potentially impact on ongoing police inquiries and assessments and any potential legal action or criminal trial that could result from that, would be to the detriment of the survivors themselves in their pursuit of justice.’
They also emphasised His Majesty’s ‘clear constitutional position’, adding: ‘Even though the risk may be small that a meeting or any public comments could impact on those inquiries, or the proper course of the law, that is a risk that we simply can’t take, for the best interest for the survivors themselves.’
After the US State Visit is concluded, the King will travel solo to Bermuda, Britain’s oldest Overseas Territory, where he remains head of state, for two days of engagements.
He will address the thorny issue of the transatlantic slave trade by viewing a museum exhibition dedicated to Bermuda’s history.
