Buckingham Palace is reportedly in last-minute talks with the White House over security for the King’s planned state visit to the United States this week in the wake of another apparent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump’s life.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday morning, President Trump confirmed that King Charles III will still make the journey over the pond for a state visit commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.
“First of all, King Charles is coming,” Mr Trump said. “He’s a great guy. We look forward to it.”
According to The Telegraph, King Charles and Queen Camilla were scheduled to land on Monday for a four-day trip, during which the King was expected to travel to New York and then Washington, D.C., where he is set to address the joint Houses of Congress.
In a statement to GB News, a Palace spokesman said: “His Majesty is being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady and all guests have been unharmed.
“As you would expect, a number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the Visit.”
Minister Darren Jones added that the government will stay in “close cooperation” with American security services throughout the trip.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have also reportedly personally contacted President Trump and First Lady Melania to share their sympathies and express solidarity with the American leader and his family.
Police have identified 31-year-old teacher Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, as the suspect in the shooting. He reportedly was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives during the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening.
Prior to ascending to the British Throne, King Charles had also experienced attempted assassinations, including a foiled attempt by an IRA terrorist to bomb him and his then-wife, Princess Diana, at a Duran Duran concert in London in 1983.
Charles also famously displayed steely nerves in 1994 when he was shot at by a pro-asylum seeker activist during a trip to Sydney, Australia. David Kang, the son of a Korean migrant, fired two blank shots from a starting pistol and rushed the stage towards then-Prince Charles. He claimed that it was not his intent to harm Charles, and was only sentenced to 500 hours of community service.
Nevertheless, the most recent apparent attempt on President Trump’s life will surely raise the stakes of the Royal Visit next week.
In addition to security concerns, the planned visit was already set to be high stakes, with the left-wing British government hoping that King Charles can leverage his good personal relationship with President Trump to alleviate tensions between London and Washington after Prime Minister Starmer initially refused access to bases on British territory during the outset of the conflict in Iran, including the joint base on Diego Garcia, which the United States military constructed.
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