King Charles III and Queen Camilla undertook a four-day state visit to the United States from 27 to 30 April 2026, hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. This was the first state visit by a British monarch since May 2007, when the late Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by then-President George W. Bush. The visit marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and celebrated the close ties between the two nations.
Their Majesties arrived at Joint Base Andrews on 27 April and were received by the President and First Lady at the South Portico of the White House, where they held afternoon tea in the Green Room. That evening, the King and Queen attended a garden party at the British Ambassador’s residence, which had first hosted a garden party for King George VI in June 1939.
On 28 April, a formal arrival ceremony on the South Lawn was attended by nearly 500 members of the US Armed Forces from all six military branches, described as a historic first for state visits. The centrepiece of the visit came when the King addressed a joint meeting of Congress, becoming only the second British monarch to do so, following Queen Elizabeth II’s address at the Capitol in 1991. In his address, the King spoke of shared democratic foundations: “In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength.” He used the platform to reaffirm support for multilateral institutions, praising the importance of NATO and AUKUS and championing an independent judiciary. A White House state dinner followed that evening.
On the third day of the visit, in New York, the King and Queen visited the National September 11 Memorial. The royals wrote on a note card placed with a bouquet of white flowers and were introduced to families of victims and first responders. The New York itinerary concluded at Rockefeller Center to celebrate 50 years of The King’s Trust charity.
On 30 April, the King and Queen made a formal farewell to the President and First Lady in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room before travelling to Arlington National Cemetery. Against a backdrop of military ceremony, including a 21-gun salute, the King laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s own tribute there in 1957. Their Majesties then joined locals in Front Royal, Virginia, for a potluck marking America’s 250th anniversary, contributing British dishes.
Outcomes
President Trump announced a trade concession on 30 April, marking the most concrete outcome of the visit. He amended the current US-UK trade agreement to remove the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky, with the UK government confirming that the change would extend to all whisky tariffs, including Irish whiskey. On broader trade, the King hosted a formal UK-US Trade and Business Event at Rockefeller Center in New York on 29 April, alongside Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Chief executives from Blackstone, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Google, OpenAI, GSK, Comcast, Rolls-Royce, Tishman Speyer, and Octopus Energy attended to discuss investment opportunities in Britain, building on agreements reached during President Trump’s 2025 visit to the United Kingdom.
