King Charles III and Queen Camilla landed in the United States on Monday, April 27, kicking off the first state visit by a British monarch since 2007.
The four-day state visit, touted as a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, will be the king’s first U.S. trip since his 2022 coronation. The royal pair is set to spend time at the nation’s capital, including a formal state dinner at the White House and an address to a joint session of Congress, before venturing to other nearby states.
Their packed schedule includes a ceremonial stop at the memorial dedicated to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, as well as sightseeing in the Appalachia region, USA TODAY previously reported.
Charles and Camilla’s visit is being framed as a chance to repair a rift between two countries with historically deep ties. Tensions have risen in recent months between the United States and the United Kingdom governments over a slew of topics, like the United States’ joint war in Iran, the administration’s tariffs and ongoing disagreements over theNATO military alliance.
The visit comes at an especially tense time in Washington, DC, as Britain’s king and queen arrive days after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by Trump and other administration officials. Buckingham Palace announced Sunday that the visit would proceed as previously planned.
“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 Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, Reuters reported. “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.”
Kathryn Palmer
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in the United States on Monday afternoon, kicking off a historical four-day trip.
Charles and Camilla touched down at Joint Base Andrews around 2:30 p.m., according to Reuters, making their landing slightly ahead of schedule.
After their ceremonial welcome at the base, they will head to the White House to meet with the president and first lady, before heading into a packed afternoon of tea, tours and a garden party.
Kathryn Palmer
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to land at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews shortly, where their whirlwind (and tightly scheduled) trip to the United States will begin.
The two will have a ceremonial welcome at the base when they arrive, expected around 3 p.m. ET on Monday. A host of American and British representatives will receive them, according to the British Embassy in Washington, DC.
They will then head to the White House where they will meet with the president and first lady, and proceed to tea. But it won’t be an intimate affair with just the two couples, rather, a tea service with over 600 attendees (and more than 2,000 prepared sandwiches).
Charles and Camilla will then tour the White House, the embassy said, before moving on to a garden party hosted at the British Ambassador’s residence.
Kathryn Palmer
The British monarch, 77, has been battling an unspecified form of cancer since 2024.
Buckingham Palace announced in February 2024 that Charles had a form of cancer, discovered after a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate. The king was then hospitalized for a short time in March 2025 for side effects from his cancer treatment, which he had continued receiving since returning to public duties in April 2024 shortly after his diagnosis, according to Buckingham Palace.
It’s unclear where the monarch stands in his treatment, though he said in a December 2025 video address posted to social media that his “schedule of cancer treatment” could be reduced in 2026.
Princess Kate was diagnosed with cancer one month after King Charles. She announced she was cancer-free in January 2025.
Kathryn Palmer
After King Charles III, the line of succession turns to his oldest son, Prince William, making him first in line to inherit the throne. William’s children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 8 — are next in the line of succession.
Upon Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022, Charles instantly became king. He was 73 at the time, making him the oldest monarch to ever take the British throne.
His wife, Camilla, formerly the Duchess of Cornwall, became the Queen Consort, at the request of the former monarch.
Kate Perez
The multi-day trip by Charles and Camilla is the first state visit by a British sovereign since Queen Elizabeth in 2007, but not the first between the British royal and Trump.
The late Queen Elizabeth welcomed Trump for a three-day state visit in June 2019 during his first term in office, during which he had attended a state banquet and a private lunch with the sovereign, as well as having tea with Charles, who was then heir.
More recently, in September 2025, Trump traveled to London for a second state visit, the first for any president, upon invitation from Charles. The president described the invitation and trip as “truly one of the highest honors of my life” during his toast at the white-tie dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Contributing: Reuters
Kate Perez
Trump complimented King Charles ahead of his arrival in a five-minute phone interview with BBC reporter Sarah Smith, USA TODAY previously reported. The president said he “absolutely” believes the royal pair’s visit could help repair U.S.-U.K. relations, strained amid British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to get involved in the Iran war.
“He’s fantastic,” Trump said of Charles. “He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely, the answer is yes.”
“I know him well, I’ve known him for years. He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man,” the president added. “They would absolutely be a positive.”
The president has expressed similar sentiments in other interviews. Speaking with Sky News, Trump said he was excited to see Charles again and called him “a great gentleman, a friend of mine.”
James Powel
Security for Charles and Camilla’s state visit was reviewed following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Buckingham Palace told The Guardian on Sunday.
“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.
The palace spokesperson added that it was understood that “there will be some modest adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip,” though overall plans for the four-day trip remain unchanged, according to the Guardian.
USA TODAY reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
Kate Perez
The royal visit is part of the celebrations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on April 1 that Charles would address Congress during the trip, including a letter invitation to the royal describing the visit as one that celebrates “the shared heritage and enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States.”
“Our two nations share one of the most consequential partnerships in history, and together we will mark the historic milestone of America’s 250th year of independence,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.