They will meet with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for tea at the White House before they all attend a garden party tonight.
King Charles III is making a state visit to the United States today, where he will meet with President Donald Trump and deliver remarks to Congress. Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty Images
Charles and Camilla have arrived in the U.S., landing at Joint Base Andrews before 3 p.m. ET.
The king and queen were greeted by U.S. Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley and British Ambassador to the U.S. Sir Christian Turner.
A band performed both the U.K. and U.S. national anthems while they waited to enter their vehicle en route to the White House.
Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress tomorrow, becoming only the second British monarch to do so.
Here’s a look back at the history of royal speeches to Congress:
Congressional leaders invited Charles to share his vision “for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history.” The king’s speech comes during the 250th anniversary of America’s independence from British rule.
Not that often. Charles will be only the second British monarch to address Congress, following in the footsteps of his mom, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was the first and only British monarch to address Congress in 1991.
There have been 132 addresses to Congress by foreign leaders, but it is more rare for a monarch to do so. Most of those speeches have been by presidents and prime ministers.
Here are the 10 monarchs who have addressed Congress:
Queen Elizabeth II also visited the Capitol in 1976 for the American bicentennial and attended a luncheon that Congress held for her in Statuary Hall. She did not give a formal address that year.
The king’s grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, made history in 1939 as the first reigning British monarchs to set foot in the United States. That trip included a visit to the Capitol but not a speech.
As the queen walked down the center aisle of a packed House chamber, members mostly refrained from reaching out to shake her hand as they usually do when presidents arrive for the State of the Union.
Elizabeth spoke for roughly 15 minutes and ended by saying “May God Bless America.”
The queen was allowed to wear a hat in the chamber, which was typically prohibited. Her husband, Prince Philip, was seated on the rostrum to follow royal etiquette, instead of in the gallery where the president’s spouse typically sits.
Elizabeth also faced protests by members of Congress. Several Irish-American lawmakers, including Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, D-Mass., boycotted her speech to protest the British policy in Northern Ireland,
The British royal family posted a series of photos on Instagram of royals visiting the U.S. to mark the start of the king and queen’s visit to Washington.
“Later today, The King and Queen will arrive in Washington DC for a four-day State Visit to the USA,” the post said. “For decades, the Royal Family have made visits to the United States to honour the significance of the historic UK-US relationship.”
The photos included the now-King Charles making his first trip to the U.S. in 1970. Queen Elizabeth II visited the U.S. in 1976 to honor the 200th anniversary of the U.S. The king and queen’s visit this year comes as the nation celebrates 250 years since it declared independence from Britain.
“The visit will be an opportunity to recognise the centuries of history shared by our two nations and the connections between us today,” the text on one of the photos said.
Charles and Camilla reached out privately to Trump and Melania Trump to express their concern and sympathies for Saturday night’s incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, according to a source familiar with the development.
They also shared they were grateful that law enforcement and security officers responded so quickly, the source added.
The British royals are expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., today.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement yesterday that Charles is being kept informed about developments.
“As you would expect, a number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with U.S. 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,” the spokesperson said.
Charles and Camilla will arrive at Joint Base Andrews today, where they’ll be greeted by U.S. Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley and the British ambassador to the U.S., Christian Turner.
The visiting couple will receive posies from children of British military families based in the U.S. before being greeted by diplomatic, federal and state representatives, including senior members of the British Embassy in Washington.
Charles and Camilla will proceed through an honor cordon of U.S. military personnel and will be played the British and American national anthems by the U.S. military band.
They will head to the White House South Portico where they’ll be greeted by Trump and Melania Trump, followed by tea inside and then a visit to the White House beehives outside.
This evening, the Trumps and the visitors will attend a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence, which first hosted the event in June 1939 for King George VI.
Trump was granted a royal welcome like no other by Charles and senior royals at Windsor Castle during his unprecedented second state visit in September.
The U.K.’s largest military ceremony for a visiting foreign leader in living memory brought out 1,300 military personnel, 120 horses and the full weight of Britain’s ceremonial traditions to welcome him.
Read the full story here.
More than two centuries after the 13 colonies rebelled against King George III and sent his redcoats packing, a direct descendant of that monarch will arrive today in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from British rule.
Charles’ mission, which he has chosen to accept: repairing what’s known in Britain as the “special relationship” with the United States, ties that have been significantly tested under Trump.
Read the full story here.
NBC News