King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted with a red-carpet ceremony on Monday afternoon as the royal couple began a four-day visit to the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The royal couple walked through an honor cordon made up of U.S. military personnel before heading to the White House to kick off two days in Washington, D.C. The king, dressed in a blue suit, and queen, wearing a pink coat dress, listened as the U.S. military band played the national anthems of both Britain and the United States.
For King Charles, the trip is his first visit to the former colonies as Britain’s monarch and comes at a fraught time for the relationship between the governments of the two countries. President Trump has repeatedly belittled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for refusing to join the war in Iran.
Their majesties began planning for their American trip months before the current conflict between Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer. British officials and representatives of Buckingham Palace have repeatedly said the king does not get involved in day-to-day politics or foreign policy.
But privately, officials have said they are hopeful that the king’s visit might soothe tensions between the president and the prime minister.
At the White House on Monday afternoon, the royal couple will have a short visit with Mr. Trump and Melania Trump, the first lady. Following that, they will head to a garden party at the British Embassy in Washington.
A private meeting between the president and the king will take place on Tuesday before the king delivers an address to a joint session of Congress. Mr. Trump will host a state banquet for the royal couple on Tuesday evening.
Michael D. Shear is the chief U.K. correspondent for The New York Times, covering British politics and culture and diplomacy around the world.
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