King Charles' planned state visit to Washington on 27 April will go ahead despite ashooting at the White House Correspondents' dinnerin the US capital days earlier, but a former royal aide has claimed Queen Elizabeth II would have 'had the government pull the plug' on such a trip in the current climate of political tension and gun violence.
The King, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, are due to spend four days in the United States, meeting President Donald Trump and marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, in what insiders describe as the monarch's most politically delicate overseas mission to date.
The debate over whether the King should travel at all intensified after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night. According to the account provided, suspect Cole Tomas Allen entered the ballroom and fired several shots into the crowd. President Trump, 79, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were not injured and were swiftly evacuated.
Shortly afterwards,Buckingham Palace issued a statement expressing concern for the US president. The note said 'a number of discussions' would take place with American counterparts and staff 'to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit.' As of this reporting, officials have not suggested any change of schedule.
Behind the formal language, however, one source who is described as having worked with the late Queen told the Sunday Times they were convinced Elizabeth II would have taken a different view.
'I can't help but think Queen Elizabeth would have had the government pull the plug on this state visit ages ago,' the source said, adding that while 'the king wants to tick a historic US state visit off his bucket list', the timing and conditions were 'a shame.'
The King Charles Washington trip is taking place against a backdrop that is unusually hostile for a royal visit marketed as a celebration of shared values.
In recent months, President Trump has publicly belittled Britain's armed forces by calling its aircraft carriers 'toys', dismissed Prime Minister Keir Starmer as 'no Winston Churchill', attacked UK immigration policy as 'insane' and claimed the country was 'being invaded' by illegal migrants.
A leaked Pentagon email, published by Reuters, outlined options for the US to reassess support for what it termed British 'imperial possessions', including the Falkland Islands. For British diplomats, that is close to a red line, given the islands' history and the war fought over them.
Beyond the rhetoric, there are deep policy rifts. Reports say Starmer initially refused to back the US‑Israeli military campaign against Iran by blocking the use of British bases, only later allowing limited defensive operations after Iranian strikes. The political relationship between Trump and Starmer has been described as strained, and the wider UK‑US alliance is widely viewed as being at its lowest ebb in decades.
Source: International Business Times UK
