London, United Kingdom. King Charles will make a state visit to the United States in late April, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday, a trip the British government hopes will help repair relations with President Donald Trump.
Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will travel to the United States to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from British rule, before visiting Bermuda.
Palace statement and itinerary
Buckingham Palace said the programme would celebrate historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, adding that the trip was being made on the advice of the British government.
The visit will be the first state visit by a British monarch since 2007, when Queen Elizabeth made the fourth such U.S. trip of her reign.
Strained political relations
Previously good relations between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been strained over Starmer’s reluctance to get involved in the Iran war and his refusal to let the U.S. use British bases to launch initial attacks.
While U.S. forces have since been permitted to carry out what Starmer calls defensive strikes, Trump has repeatedly criticised the prime minister, saying he was “not Winston Churchill” and had ruined the historically close alliance.
Trump has also derided Britain’s offer to send more military assets to the region.
Chagos Islands deal and domestic pressures
Trump has changed his mind on a British deal with Mauritius to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, home to the U.S.-British Diego Garcia air base, calling it a great mistake, to the delight of some of Starmer’s domestic opponents.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has cast doubt on the lawfulness of the attacks on Iran, which are not popular at home and have raised concerns about rising energy costs.
Starmer has avoided any direct criticism of Trump and has publicly stated that their relationship remained good.
What do you expect the state visit to achieve for U.K.-U.S. relations?
