King Charles III and Camilla are on the third day of their historic state visit to the United States, which many hope will repair a weakening “special relationship”.
The royals touched down at the Joint Base Andrews air base in Maryland, a short distance from Washington, Monday afternoon Eastern Time.
The historic state visit marks the King’s first state visit to the United States as monarch and heralds the start of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence. The state visit will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Reflecting on American Independence as part of his historic speech to congress on Tuesday, Charles emphasised that despite not always agreeing, the two nations had always found a way of coming together.
“With the spirit of 1776 in our minds, we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree – at least in the first instance,” he said, adding: “When we have found that way to agree, what great change is brought about – not just for the benefit of our peoples, but of all peoples.
“This, I believe, is the special ingredient in our relationship.”
Hopes remain that the diplomatic soft power of the royal family will go a long way in rectifying relations between the US and UK after the president branded Britain’s approach to the Iran war “terrible” and repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer – at one point describing him as “not Winston Churchill”.
Days prior to the highly-anticipated state visit, a shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner raised questions as to whether the King would continue his planned journey after Trump and other cabinet officials were rushed to safety out of the black tie gala. Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sunday that the state visit would go ahead as planned.
The suspect shot and injured one law enforcement officer before being detained near the hotel screening area, officials said in the aftermath.
A spokesperson from Buckingham Palace said: “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.
“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.”
UK ambassador to the US Christian Turner confirmed on Sunday that he was “very confident that their Majesties will have the very best security throughout the visit”.
Here is what we know about the scheduled plans for the King and Queen in the United States.
Wednesday
Charles and Camilla are set to travel to New York on the third day of their state visit, where they will visit the 9/11 memorial around 1pm local time (6pm BST) marking the approach of the 25th anniversary of the 11 September attacks. During their visit, they will also meet with first responders and families of those who were killed that day.
As part of a visit to the New York Public Library’s permanent treasures collection at 2pm local time (7pm BST), the Queen will give a specially made toy of Winnie-the-Pooh character Roo to the library to complete a set of the beloved characters in one of the institution’s collections.
The library is home to the teddy bears which belonged to Christopher Robin, son of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A A Milne, believed to have inspired the stories first published in 1926. While Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga and Eeyore are all on display, the original baby kangaroo toy, Roo, was lost in an apple orchard in the 1930s.
The Roo toy was made specifically for the visit by traditional British teddy bear makers Merrythought, who produced the original toys.
While the Queen attends the famous library, the King is set to attend a community engagement in Harlem before attending a UK-US trade and business event at 3.25pm local time (8.25pm BST).
Charles and Camilla will reunite at around 5.15pm local time (10.15pm BST) to attend a UK-US cultural reception..
Thursday
The royals will say farewell to the president and first lady on Thursday before heading south to Virginia for a number of community activities. Charles and Camilla are reportedly set to attend a party marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, as well as meeting members of indigenous communities to discuss climate change projects, according to US media.
The King will go on to visit Bermuda following the US state visit.
What has happened so far?
Charles and Camilla were greeted by Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump at around 4.15pm local time (9pm BST) at the White House’s south portico. The heads of state joined together for a private afternoon tea in the Green Room on the state floor.
The King and Queen visited the beehives nestled on the South Lawn near the historic building’s kitchen garden. It comes a week after the first lady announced the White House had expanded its long-running honey-making programme, including a new beehive shaped like the president’s official residence.
During the open-air soiree in the gardens of the official residence of Sir Christian Turner, the UK’s ambassador to the US, Camilla chatted to charity bosses working to combat child exploitation and sexual abuse.
The King ended the first day of the much-anticipated visit by chatting to former Olympic diving champion Tom Daley about their shared love of knitting.
The second day of the state visit began with a state arrival ceremony on the south lawn of the White House at 10.35am local time (3.35pm BST) where the King inspected the troops alongside the president. Trump gave a speech in Charles’ honour where he said: “In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British.”
He went on to mention his own mother, Scottish-born Mary Macleod Trump, who had a “crush” on the King when he was younger.
“She really did love the family but I also remember her saying very clearly, ‘Charles, look young Charles, he’s so cute’,” Trump said. “My mother had a crush on Charles – can you believe it?”
The King and Queen went on to sign the White House guest book and exchange gifts with the president and first lady around 11.10am local time. Trump and the King had a bilateral meeting shortly after.
Charles gave a speech to both houses of Congress later that day which received a standing ovation as he emphasised the “interlinked” destinies of the UK and the US.
That evening, Mr and Ms Trump greeted the royals again for a tour and document viewing before the state dinner in the East Room.
Trump was presented with a Second World War-era submarine’s bell, polished to a mirror shine, which had once been part of a British submarine that spent more than 20 years in Australia when the Royal Navy maintained a permanent presence there. The boat’s name was H.M.S. Trump.