King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit President Donald Trump’s White House next week in the first U.S. state visit by a British monarch since President George W. Bush hosted Queen Elizabeth II in 2007.
The April 27–30 visit will also mark the first official state visit of Trump’s second term, according to the White House.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are scheduled to welcome King Charles and Queen Camilla to Washington, D.C., for a four-day visit centered on the U.S.-U.K. relationship as the United States marks 250 years of independence.
The visit will mix traditional diplomatic ceremony with military pageantry, a state dinner, private tea, and a student event featuring virtual reality and AI-enabled glasses.
Melania Trump Led Preparations
First Lady Melania Trump led preparations for the state visit, which the White House said will honor the “longstanding and special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom.
The President and the First Lady will greet the King and Queen on Monday afternoon at the South Portico of the White House. The couples will then sit for tea in the Green Room.
Afterward, Trump and the First Lady will take Their Majesties on a tour of the newly unveiled and expanded White House Beehive on the South Lawn near the White House Kitchen Garden.
The formal state arrival ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday morning on the South Lawn.
The White House said the ceremony will include military honors from the United States Army Herald Trumpets, performances of both national anthems by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and a 21-gun cannon salute from the Presidential Salute Battery.
After an inspection of the troops and a troop in review, Trump will deliver remarks from the South Lawn, according to the White House.
The President, the First Lady, King Charles, and Queen Camilla will then proceed to the Blue Room Balcony for a Pass in Review involving 300 U.S. service members. The White House said nearly 500 members of the U.S. Armed Forces from all six military branches will be present, calling it a historic first for state visits.
Rare Royal State Visit
The visit carries historical weight because state visits by British monarchs to the United States are rare.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the United States from May 3–8, 2007, with Washington events on May 7–8. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush hosted them at the White House, including a state dinner.
The 2007 visit marked the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.
“Our two nations hold fundamental values in common,” Bush said during the visit. “We honor our traditions and our shared history. We recognize that the strongest societies respect the rights and dignity of the individual.”
The Bush White House said at the time that Queen Elizabeth II had previously visited the United States in 1957, 1976, 1983, and 1991. Her visits in 1957, 1976, 1991, and 2007 included state dinners.
Charles’ most recent White House visit came before he became king. In March 2015, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with then-Prince Charles and Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall, in the Oval Office.
State Dinner And AI Event
Tuesday’s visit will also include an official guest book signing, a gift exchange in the Blue Room, a receiving line with the U.S. and U.K. delegations, and a bilateral meeting between Trump and King Charles in the Oval Office.
Melania Trump and Queen Camilla will follow a separate schedule.
The First Lady and Queen Camilla will join American students for a cross-cultural education event at the White House Tennis Pavilion, the White House said. The White House said the group will include several state champions from the Presidential AI Challenge.
Students will use virtual reality headsets to learn about the United Kingdom. They will also use AI-enabled glasses to study American history and the “Special Relationship” by evaluating artifacts from the White House Collection and the National Archives and Records Administration.
On Tuesday evening, Trump and the First Lady will host King Charles and Queen Camilla for a state dinner in the East Room.
