King will have ‘very best security’ for state visit: Live updates

First Lady Melania Trump has been ‘very involved’ in planning for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to the White House.

‘Melania is totally across it. There’s lots of attention to detail, and she admits it has to be a great success,’ sources told The Telegraph.

The royals will head to Washington, DC today for the first leg of their visit to the United States.

Here is what’s on the schedule for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first day in the US.

• 12pm ET – Royals arrive
• 4.15pm ET – President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet the King and Queen
• 4.20pm ET – The couples will participate in a tea and beehive tour, then the royals will head to the British Embassy for a garden party

Buckingham Palace said that security for King Charles and Queen Camilla was reviewed after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday.

‘As you would expect, a number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit,’ a palace spokesperson told The Guardian.

‘There will be some modest adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip.’

The British Embassy in Washington shared a behind-the-scenes look at the food preparations ahead of King Charles’ state visit.

‘Chef is preparing afternoon tea for 650 guests, including Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla,’ the embassy wrote on X

‘Four kinds of tea sandwiches, scones, desserts, and several British flavours from smoked Scottish salmon to British Beef!’

American voters listed members of the British royal family as their favorite living Brits.

Topping the list: King Charles and Prince Harry, who is married to American actress Meghan Markle, followed by Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Coming in a distant fifth was Paul McCartney of the Beatles.

King Charles’ four-day state visit to the United States marks the first official state visit by a British monarch since 2007.

Charles has visited the US 19 times, but this is his first state visit to the country since becoming king in 2022.

His last visit to the US was in March 2015, where he met with then-President Barack Obama.

His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made four state visits to the US, with her last trip in 2007.

According to Politico, King Charles is expected to address the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting during a speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

His speech is expected to last from 20 minutes to half an hour, exceeding the 12 minute speech his mother Queen Elizabeth II gave during a state visit in 1991.

There will allegedly be no ‘substantive announcements’ made by the King, and the talk will feature little focus on policy.

However, a source close to the preparations told the outlet: ‘There is a feeling that the king can probably advance maybe one issue, so the question is what that issue will be.’

King Charles is set to attend a 9/11 memorial wreath-laying event with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday.

Sixty-seven British citizens were killed during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers.

However, Mamdani’s press secretary, Joe Calvello, told Fox News Digital the two will not meet privately.

‘The mayor will not meet privately with King Charles. He was invited to join a number of New York elected officials next week at a wreath laying at the 9/11 memorial with members of the British royal family,’ Calvello said.

The British monarch is slated to make stops in Washington, DC, New York ​and Virginia during his April 27 to April 30 ​state visit.

Nearly 250 years after America famously broke ties with the British Crown, King Charles III is still set to return to Washington this week to reaffirm the ‘Special Relationship’ between the two nations during a period of significant national tension.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are planning to arrive on Monday for their high-stakes state visit with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Following the security breach at last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that His Majesty is being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady, and all guests remained unharmed.

The British ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said Sunday that they are ‘Absolutely expecting’ the King and Queen. ‘It’s very British, keep calm and carry on.’

Here’s a video clip of Donald Trump talking about the state visit during an interview with CBS, as he insisted King Charles will be ‘very safe’:

Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specialising in American history, said the US and UK governments have very different objectives for the state visit.

He said that for Charles, the trip is about ‘reinforcing long-term ties, showcasing the monarchy’s soft power and reminding the world that Britain still carries diplomatic weight.’

For Mr Trump, it’s more about ‘a media event’, with emphasis on the optics of a visit that resembles a meeting of ‘two gilded monarchs.’